Change Your Mind
by Scottish Brony
Summary: Twilight hosts a get-together party, which goes down well, but after an incident, the Mane 6 find out things they never knew about each others' lives.
1. Chapter 1

The beginning of summer in Ponyville. A time when all young fillies waited excitedly for their summer vacation to begin. A time when they would all rush to the ones even more excited about the long, hot days – the ice cream vendors.

But there was one particular purple unicorn who wasn't waiting for a summer vacation or wanting to be in line for ice cream. In fact, she barely noticed summer had started. The days didn't seem that much longer to her than normal, although this was mainly because she was absorbed in study most of the time.

Today, as usual, she was intently reading a book placed on a lectern with three others on the floor beside her, two previously read earlier that day. Her purple eyes scanned the words while her brain absorbed the information, soaking it in like a sponge.

"Ooh, that looks fun..." she mumbled to herself, "Now this... hmmm... well, Rarity and I could use our magic to... and I'm sure Pinkie could help with _that_..."

A purple baby dragon stood on a ladder behind her holding a stack of books in one hand. He looked over his shoulder at her as he slid a blue bound book into place, keeping the titles in alphabetical order as requested.

He raised an eyebrow as she continued mumbling to herself, occasionally making a small exclamation followed by more unconscious talking. Balancing the books as he descended, the dragon cleared his throat. The unicorn paid no heed and, with her magic, turned the page of the book she was reading. Reaching the bottom of the ladder, the dragon cleared his throat again, louder. There was still no reaction. He rolled his eyes.

"Twilight!" he said.

Her ear flicked and she blinked rapidly, "Y–Yes, Spike?" she asked, turning to him.

"Good to know your hearing still works."

She gave a small frown at the strange statement, "Did you want something?"

"What are you reading? You've been mumbling to yourself for hours."

"That's a bit of an exaggeration," she said with chuckle, "'Hours'? I've only been reading these for..." she stopped when she looked at the clock.

"About four hours?" Spike finished for her.

"What? It's two o'clock already?" she asked, genuinely surprised.

"Told ya."

"Wow. I _really_ lost track of time. I can't even remember what _day_ it is..."

"Wednesday."

"Gosh, really?"

"Yeah. Now, uh... the books?"

"Oh. Right."

Twilight used her magic to lift the book from the lectern and float in front of her, still open, allowing her to continue reading and letting Spike see the title.

The dragon looked over the cover. On a dark blue background decorated with illustrations of balloons, streamers and confetti was the title, printed in striking yellow text, "_Properly Planning Perfect Pony Parties_? Huh. Try saying that five times fast."

"Uh-huh..." replied Twilight, distantly.

"You know, I've noticed a lot of books have that thing where every word starts with the same letter. What's with that?"

"Oh, that's just alliteration..." she said quickly, without even glancing at him.

"Ala... latra... what now?" asked the dragon, scratching his head.

There was no response. Spike noted that Twilight kept the book floating in the air as she read, likely not even aware she was doing it. Then a thought struck him.

"Wait, _you're_ throwing a party?"

"Hm? Oh, yes," replied the unicorn, just realising what Spike had said, "I mean, why not? We all have the weekend free, so I thought it would be nice to get together."

"Ha! You won't beat Pinkie's parties!"

"I know. That's why I'm going to ask her to help. But I'm going to read up on everything, first, just to be sure it's as good as I can get it," she said, returning the book to the lectern.

"Oh... alright. So, do you need me to get anything for the party right now? Twilight?"

Seeing the unicorn was completely absorbed in her book again, Spike shook his head and raised his free hand in defeat, letting out a small sigh.

.

With her saddlebags on, Twilight walked into Sugarcube Corner, the tinkling bell alerting Mrs. Cake.

"Hello, Twilight!" she greeted, smiling, "How can I help you today?"

"Is Pinkie Pie here?" asked the purple unicorn, looking around the shop which only had one other customer, a blue earth pony, "I just need to ask her something quick. I won't keep her long."

"Well, she's baking right now, but if you just want to ask her something, I guess it's okay. She's in the kitchen. Just a second."

As Mrs. Cake went to the shop's kitchen, Twilight scanned her eyes over the confections on display. She happened on a particularly large chocolate cake just as the kitchen door opened and a pony with a fluffy pink mane and a pale pink coat literally hopped out, followed by Mrs. Cake.

"Hi, Twilight!" she chirped joyfully.

"Pinkie! Hi! I just need to ask you something real quick. See, I'm planning a party this weekend an–"

"_A party?_"

Almost instantly, wearing a huge grin, Pinkie appeared right in front of Twilight, making the unicorn take a small step back.

"Oh, can I help? Huh? Can I? Can I? Can I?" she asked, jumping up and down.

"That's actually what I came here to ask you," explained Twilight, her eyes following the bouncing pony.

"Really? Great!" exclaimed Pinkie, ceasing her jumps. Then her face took on a thoughtful look and she put a hoof under her chin, "Hmm, okay, let's see. First of all you'll need—"

"Uh, Pinkie, maybe later today? Come to the library when you've got some time and we can discuss it there."

"Oh, okay! Can I help with anything else?"

"Well, could I have two of those cupcakes?" asked Twilight, indicating a tray of cupcakes of all colours behind the front counter's glass.

"Right away!" replied Pinkie and zipped off to collect them. She deposited them in a box and placed them on the counter, "Are these for the party? You're going to need more, because that isn't very much. Do you want any more? Unless you've got some back home, but just in case—"

"Pinkie, no, it's fine," said Twilight, knowing that the pink pony would talk non-stop all day if she let her, "These are just for me and Spike for today. I'll come by later in the week for what we'll need, alright?"

"Okie-dokie-lokie! So, that's two bits for two cupcakes!"

Using her magic, Twilight produced two coins from one of her saddlebags and laid them on the counter while also sliding the cake box into the other bag.

"Thanks, Pinkie! See you later! Oh, and be sure you make it to the party – there'll be a surprise," Twilight added with a wink.

Pinkie gasped, "A surprise? What is it?"

"...It wouldn't be a surprise if I told you, would it?"

"Oh yeah, silly me! Well, bye, Twilight!" said Pinkie, waving.

After the door closed, Pinkie began jumping up and down again, "Whee! This party is going to be so much fun!"

"I'm sure it will," said Mrs. Cake, noticing the other customer was giving the fluffy tailed pony a strange look and staying at the far end of the shop, "But I think you'd better get back to those cakes you were making."

"Alright! I bet they're almost ready now!" said Pinkie, and hopped back into the kitchen.

.

Crossing over the small bridge leading to Fluttershy's front garden, Twilight smiled as she observed the colourful fish contentedly swimming in the sparkling river running near the timid pegasus' home. The notes of songbirds filled the air and there was a pleasant scent in the wind. It was always so peaceful and relaxing here.

Several birds poked their heads out of the many birdhouses around Fluttershy's home and watched the unicorn curiously as she cantered up the path. Twilight knocked on the door and a few moments later, the top half of the door opened, revealing a yellow pegasus with a light pink mane.

"Hello, Twilight," she said in a soft voice, as was her nature.

"Hey, Fluttershy. I'm thinking of having a party on Saturday at around seven o'clock in the evening. Would you like to come?"

"A party? Um... h–how many other ponies will be there?" she asked, cautiously.

"Oh, don't worry; it'll just be the six of us. And Spike. Not to mention Pinkie will be helping me with it."

Relief was clear on Fluttershy's face, "Well, if it's just us, then okay. I'm sure you and Pinkie will make it a really fun party."

"You bet! Especially since I've got a surprise planned for it."

The pegasus' face fell a little at this, "...A surprise? What kind of surprise?"

"Well, it's more of an announcement, really. But I want you to all be there for it."

"Okay. I–I'll be there."

"Great! Oh, and if I don't see her first, could you tell Rainbow Dash about this when you get the chance?"

Fluttershy nodded, "I will."

"Thanks. See you later!" said Twilight and walked away.

.

"Coming!" said Rarity in a sing-song voice as she heard the familiar tinkle of the bell above her door. She appeared from behind a full clothing rack, wearing her orange glasses and had a measuring tape draped over her neck. Her expression brightened when she saw her friend, "Twilight! Darling! Wonderful to see you!" she said, her royal purple curls bouncing as she approached the other unicorn.

"What's up, Rarity? I just wanted to know if you'd be interested in coming to a little party I'm holding at my place on the weekend?"

"A party? Certainly. Oh! Shall I make dresses for the occasion?"

"Thanks for the offer, but no. This is just a get-together. Besides, I'm sure you've got more important dresses to concentrate on."

"Well... yes," admitted the white unicorn, glancing behind her.

"Great! So, Saturday, seven o'clock?"

"Absolutely. Will Spikey-wikey be attending, too?"

"Yup. And he'll be coming round in a few days to remind you all with an invitation that I'm sure Pinkie will insist on making."

"Pinkie?"

"Uh-huh, she's helping me out."

"Then there's no doubt I'll be there!"

"Good to hear! Anyway, I'd better let you get back to what you were doing. See you!"

"Have a wonderful day! Thank you for dropping by!"

.

As she approached Sweet Apple Acres, Twilight could smell the growing crops, as well as some less pleasant farm odours.

An audible _thunk_ from the expansive apple orchard gave the unicorn a clue where Applejack was. Or, if not, Big Macintosh; he would know where his sister would be.

Moving through the trees, stepping past large buckets filled with apples, and keeping an eye out for the orange pony, Twilight couldn't help but admire how large the apples were. Their scent was everywhere, yet it wasn't cloying.

A nearby grunt with an accompanying solid _thunk_ confirmed where the hard-working pony was. There was the sound of apples falling into a bucket, then Applejack herself rounded a tree and spotted Twilight.

"Howdy, Twi. Sorry, but ah'm a mite busy. Is there summin' you need?" asked Applejack, positioning herself in front of a tree.

"I just want to know if you can make it to a party on Saturday? Just you, me and the others. It'll be at my place around seven o'clock. _And_ I've got a surprise for you all."

"A surprise, huh? Now you got me curious. Even if there weren't gonna _be_ a party, ah'd still turn up! Count me in!" she said and then looked back at the tree with a trained eye, judging its height and density, plus the number of apples on the branches.

"Great! Oh, one more thing."

"Yuh-huh?" asked Applejack, lowering the leg she was about to buck with, looking mildly irritated at the interruption.

"I've asked Fluttershy already, but if you see Rainbow Dash, could you tell her about it, too?"

"Yeah, alright."

"Thanks. I won't keep you any longer. See you later!"

"Thanks for the invite," replied Applejack and then turned her attention to the tree. After another quick assessment, she raised her right hind leg and launched a strong kick. The tree shook and every apple on the tree promptly fell into the buckets. Twilight was still amazed at her friend's skill in that area. She knew where the best spot to kick was and exactly how much force she needed to have all the apples fall without causing any lasting damage to the tree.

Leaving Applejack to her job, Twilight decided to head back to the library, hoping to run into Rainbow Dash on the way rather than go around looking for her, as that pegasus could be anywhere. Besides, after seeing all those apples, she was starting to get hungry.

.

Twilight pushed open the door of the library, wondering where Rainbow Dash was. Her invitation was still covered though, since Fluttershy and Applejack would be the two ponies the rainbow pegasus would be the most likely to talk to. And Rarity and Pinkie Pie would probably mention it if they bumped into her. Especially Pinkie.

"Hey, Spike! I got you a—" Twilight stopped when she saw Rainbow Dash herself floating next to a bookshelf, "There you are, Rainbow!"

The pegasus raised an eyebrow at the statement, "Well... yeah, I am. You been looking for me?"

"Actually, yes," replied the unicorn, hearing Spike plodding down the wooden stairs, "I'd like to know if you'd be interested in a small get-together party on Saturday?"

"Oh, would I ever!" replied Dash, flying down towards Twilight.

"I knew you would. Also, I've got a surprise ready for it."

"A surprise?" asked Spike and Rainbow Dash in unison.

"Alright! I _love_ surprises!" said the pegasus excitedly.

"It'll sure be something," said Twilight with a smile, "Now, you were hovering around that bookcase. Looking for something in particular?"

"Eh, kinda. You got any new Daring Do books? I only got two left."

"Two?" asked Twilight in surprise, "Wow, you sure are blazing through them. I guess flying isn't the only thing you're fast at."

"Heh. Who do ya think you're talkin' to? I'm fast at _everything_!"

"I... guess you are. But, ah... have a look around the Fiction Section of the library and ask me about something that you think might take your fancy."

"Cool!" said Rainbow Dash. She got ready to take off, then paused and looked around, "Uh, where _is_ the Fiction Section?"

"On the other side of the room," replied Twilight, pointing with her horn towards several large bookcases, "You were looking in the Pony History Section."

"Oh. Well, I guess that would explain why I could only find history books. Thanks," said Dash and flew over the unicorn's head.

"Twilight?" said Spike.

"Yes?"

"It sounded like you had something for me when you came in?"

"Oh," she lifted the cupcakes out of her saddlebag, "Here you go. I figured since I was going to see Pinkie, I might as well get something."

She looked up at the pegasus running her hoof along the book spines, reading the names printed.

"Sorry, Rainbow. If I'd known you were going to be coming round, I would have gotten one for you, too."

Dash looked over her shoulder, "Ah, s'okay. I already ate, anyway," she said with a shrug and turned back to the bookshelf. She pulled out a book and examined the cover art, "Hey, what's this? Looks kinda like Daring Do, only... not her," she peered at the title, "_Indiana... Jo _–?"

"Oh, that's just a parody of Daring Do. It's... alright, I guess."

"Hmm. I'll keep it in mind," said Dash, returning it to the bookshelf, then carried on looking through the titles.

While she was doing that, Twilight continued studying her books on parties. She hoped her first hosted party would give her something to write about to Princess Celestia. If not, it would still be nice for she and her friends to have fun together.

_With this knowledge, my party's going to be great!_ she thought, grinning.


	2. Chapter 2

It was Saturday evening, the night of the party. The day before, Spike had been out delivering the invitations Pinkie Pie had, as Twilight predicted, insisted on making.

"Just in case they forget!" said the pink pony in her bright, upbeat voice and giving Twilight her very own invitation.

"Okay, but something tells me _I'm_ not going to forget," said the unicorn, floating the hoofmade invitation in front of her. It was pink. Very pink. Balloons of various colours were drawn all over the place, and in the top-right corner, Pinkie had drawn a yellow smiling sun. In the centre, written in dark red, was the invitation message:

_Dear Twilight Sparkle  
__You are invited to Twilight Sparkle's party on Saturday  
__7:00 pm, Ponyville Library_

_At least I'm invited to my own party..._ she thought sarcastically, rolling her eyes.

During her lunch break, after Spike had delivered the invitations, Twilight had gone back to Sugarcube Corner to pick up snacks recommended by Pinkie and the books she had been studying.

With the food and drinks taken care of, and Pinkie having brought her party music, all that was left was to decorate the place. Twilight had asked the party pony to come round to help after the library was closed for the remainder of the weekend. Luckily, it shut early on Saturday, meaning Spike and the two ponies had an hour to get the place ready.

"Why don't I just use my Party Cannon?" asked Pinkie, producing the sky blue artillery weapon from _somewhere_, "This'll get everything ready in a jiffy!"

"I _would_ say yes to that, but if I ever decide to host another party and you're not available, I want to know how to do it myself."

"Oh! Well, young Miss Sparkle, I hope your remember everything teacher tells you about preparing parties," said Pinkie in what she considered a 'teacher voice'.

Twilight giggled, "Yes, ma'am! I've got everything written down in my notebook," she said, levitating the aforementioned pad.

"Very good work! You get a star!" said Pinkie and stuck a gold star on the page.

"Uh... thanks," said Twilight.

.

Spike tied the final string around one of the stones they were using to secure the party balloons and turned to check Twilight's progress. His eyes got wide when he saw that she had only gotten two tied and was fiddling around with a third balloon. The dragon approached Twilight, who was looking between the three balloons.

"Twilight, what are you doing?" he asked, "It's been about ten minutes and that's all you've done?"

"I'm just trying to get them all about the same height," replied the unicorn, moving the stones around, and then magically untying and retying the strings.

Spike stared at her, "Wha... are you serious? It doesn't matter if they're not all the same height!"

She turned her head to him, "But doesn't it look neater?"

The dragon slapped a palm to his forehead, "It's a party, Twilight. Who cares about neatness? Did your books say anything about that?"

"Well... no..."

"And did Pinkie Pie?"

Twilight smiled and turned to fully face him, "I guess you're right."

"Of course I am," replied Spike, crossing his arms.

She turned her attention from him to the pink pony who was at a table at one side of the room, working on something, "What's Pinkie Pie doing, anyway?"

Spike followed her gaze, "I dunno. She was talking about making 'paper chains', or something."

The two watched their pink friend diligently working on a string of coloured rings. She had her tongue poked out of one corner of her mouth and her expression was unusually focused. She almost looked like a completely different pony. Spike shrugged and walked off to tie the balloons Twilight hadn't done yet.

The purple unicorn approached her friend, "Pinkie?"

Hearing her name, the fluffy tailed pony's bright-eyed expression returned and her head snapped up, "Hi, Twilight!"

"What are you doing?"

"Making paper chains!" declared Pinkie with a big grin and proudly held up the fifth chain she was working on.

"Huh. So _that's_ what those things are called. How do you make them, anyway?"

"Oh, it's easy; just take a piece of paper like this, then put glue on one end, then turn it over and put glue on the other end, then put the two together!" she said, demonstrating.

Twilight blinked. She had watched her friend doing it, but how she was able to grip and manipulate the paper with her hooves was beyond the unicorn's comprehension.

"Okay, but how do you hold onto the two ends?"

Pinkie tilted her head and frowned, "Huh?"

"You know, so you can put them together?"

"What do you mean? I just _do_."

Twilight put a hoof to the side of her head, "Oh, never mind," she said in a defeated tone. Seeing Spike quickly tying the remaining balloons to stones, she floated her checklist over, unfurled it, and ticked off balloons in addition to food, drinks, invitations, and music. At the bottom, she added 'paper chains'.

"Are you done making those?" she asked Pinkie.

"Uh-huh! Well, just finishing this last one. Do you want me to make any more? I've still got some paper left and I wouldn't mind. It's fun making them! Um, not as fun as a party, but still fun! And that's what parties are all about! I can't imagine a party that's _not_ fun. That would be weird. You know, speaking of weird, one time—"

"Pinkie! Thank you. I think we've got enough now."

"Okay!"

After ticking off the paper chains, the unicorn went around the library hanging up the final decorations and double-checking everything. After that, she looked around and nodded.

"Alright, seems like everything's in order," said Twilight, curling up the checklist, "Thanks for the help, Pinkie!"

"Sure!"

"About five minutes to go. The others should be getting here pretty soon."

Just when Twilight was saying the word 'soon', there was a knock on the door.

"That _was_ soon!" said Pinkie as the unicorn crossed the room to the door. Upon opening it, a blue pegasus flew in.

"Am I... oh great, somepony got here before me," said Rainbow Dash, an expression of disappointment on her face.

"Actually, Pinkie was here early to help me set everything up," explained Twilight.

"So I'm the first guest?"

"Technically, yes."

"_Yeah!_" exclaimed the pegasus, raising her hoof in the air.

Rainbow Dash landed then walked along the side of the food table, which was pushed against a wall, her mouth watering at the confections laid out, "Whoa, nice spread!"

"My thoughts, too," said Twilight, "But we're going to wait until everyone else is here."

"Mmf, we are?" asked Spike, covering his mouth.

"Spike, did you eat something from the table?" asked Twilight,

Spike removed his hand from his mouth and laughed, "Nope!"

Twilight narrowed her eyes in mock annoyance and turned her head away, "I don't think you should be allowed to have any cake for that," she said, and then glanced at him, a smile tugging at the corner of her mouth.

There was a knock at the door.

"I'll get it!" said Pinkie.

She opened the door to two ponies, Applejack and Fluttershy.

"Hiya!" greeted the pink pony.

"Hey there, Pinkie," said Applejack, "We heard there was a party bein' held here. Mind if we join?"

"Sure! Come on in!" said Pinkie, moving aside to let the two enter.

"Fluttershy! Applejack! Great of you to show up!" said Twilight, smiling.

"No problem, Twi," replied Applejack, then waved back at Rainbow Dash who was in the air again.

Fluttershy cast her gaze around at the transformed library, "Wow! You and Pinkie did this?"

"Boy howdy! There ain't even any music and ah feel like dancin'! Ah think we're all in for some fun tonight!"

"Did you happen to—" Rainbow Dash started to say when there was a knock on the door.

"What're you sayin'?" asked Applejack.

"I was just gonna ask if you saw Rarity on your way here, but, uh... I guess that's her now."

Twilight opened the door, and greeted the last of the guests, "Rarity! Good of you to come! You look great!"

"Why thank you, darling. You look rather good, yourself," said the white unicorn. Twilight moved aside and Rarity walked in, hair shining, coat gleaming, and eyelashes large.

"So how long did you spend getting ready? An hour?" asked Rainbow jokingly.

"Certainly not!" replied Rarity, "An hour and a half is the adequate amount of time to make oneself look fabulous."

"What? Oh, _wow_! I don't know how other ponies can stand doing that for so long. All you need is a quick bath, run a comb through your hair a coupla times, and there ya go!"

"Well, some of us do care a little more about our appearance..."

"Oh, don't start arguing, you guys," said Twilight.

"We're not arguing," said Rainbow Dash, "We're, uh... discussing."

"I thought this was a party, not a discussion," said Pinkie.

"Yeah, you're right. Let's get started, already!"

Without any further prompting, Pinkie zipped over to the gramophone and turned it on.

Twilight raised a hoof in the air, "The party has officially started!" she announced.

While Twilight, Rarity and Applejack went to the middle of the room to dance, and Spike to the food table to eat, Pinkie motioned for Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy to come closer. She leaned in and said something to them, then nodded towards two small plastic buckets, one red, one yellow. Rainbow Dash smiled and looked at Fluttershy, who seemed a little unsure.

"Um... would everypony be okay with it?" she asked, just barely audible over the music.

"It's just some fun," said Rainbow Dash, "It's a party, after all."

"...Well... okay," replied the yellow pegasus, smiling a little.

The two pegasi picked up a bucket each with their hooves. Twilight, Applejack and Rarity stopped dancing and watched with some puzzlement as they flew up and hovered over the three ponies.

"Those buckets better not be full of water!" warned Rarity.

"Yeah, don't even think about it!" chimed in Applejack.

"_Now!_" yelled Pinkie and ran in amongst the other three, head turned up expectantly, grinning.

Rainbow and Fluttershy upturned the buckets and spilled their contents. Rarity cried out and reflexively covered her hair with her foreleg, cowering. When no liquids drenched her, she opened one eye and slowly glanced upwards to see confetti floating down.

The buckets hadn't been completely filled, but there was enough to give a good shower of colour.

"I _love_ being under confetti showers!" said Pinkie, standing on her hind legs, "It's so fun!"

"Yes, it... certainly is..." said Rarity, delicately brushing confetti flakes out of her hair, "Ha ha ha..."


	3. Chapter 3

The friends danced, ate and talked until late into the night. Twilight let the last few notes of the music play, and then stopped the record.

"Okay, everypony! It's time!"

"The surprise?" asked Rainbow Dash excitedly.

"Yep. Everyone grab a seat."

"Finally!" exhaled the blue pegasus, smiling.

They all gathered around the purple unicorn in a semi-circle, waiting for her announcement.

"Alright. I'm quite excited to tell you about this. You see, I... have learned a new spell!"

Rainbow's expression went from a wide smile, to a questioning smile, "Is... is that it?" she asked.

"Well, Rainbow Dash, it's not exactly easy to learn a new spell," said Rarity, sitting on a soft red cushion, "Although... I sort of have to agree. Was this announcement necessary?"

"Um, okay, not really," admitted Twilight, "But I wanted you all here to see it in action. You see, it took me about four days of constant study to learn it."

The white unicorn sat up in amazement, "_Four days_? What sort of spell _is_ it?"

"It... let's say it changes your mind about something."

"Oh, I see," said Rarity, knowingly, and put a hoof to her chin, "A mind-altering spell. Those _are_ rather difficult to learn. But Twilight, I'm surprised you would learn something like that."

The purple unicorn shook her head, "Don't worry. There are layers of protection so it can't be misused. First of all—"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Slow down," said Spike, waving both hands, "It changes your mind?"

"Exactly," agreed Rainbow Dash, "What's that mean? I _think_ I've got an idea, but..."

"There's one way to find out. Would you like to give it a try, Rainbow?" asked Twilight.

"Uh... yeah, sure. I'm always up for something new."

"Alright. Hmmm... what could... ah! Rainbow Dash, you'd like to join the Wonderbolts, right?"

The pegasus' eyes lit up, "_Like_? You mean _love_!"

"We'll see," said Twilight, smiling mischievously, "Now, just hold that thought in your head."

Rainbow nodded, "No problem there," she said with a grin.

"Right. I need everyone to be quiet. Not a sound," said Twilight and looked around. Once she was sure those gathered would be silent, she turned her attention back to the blue pegasus, "Okay, you ready?"

"I guess," said Rainbow.

Twilight's horn glowed and she pointed it at the pegasus, who was feeling a mixture of excitement and apprehension. A beam of magic shot from the unicorn's horn and a purple aura surrounded Rainbow Dash's head. The pegasus' eyes lost focus, then the aura and beam disappeared. Rainbow blinked rapidly and looked at the unicorn expectantly.

"You okay?" asked Twilight.

"Yeah. But I don't feel any different. Nothing happened," she said, a note of disappointment in her voice.

"Oh, didn't it?" asked Twilight, "How do you feel about joining the Wonderbolts?"

"You already asked me that. But, uh, I dunno. Not really my scene, anymore."

All the pony's jaws dropped. Even Twilight was shocked at hearing those words come from Rainbow Dash, despite fully expecting it.

"You mean... you don't wanna join the Wonderbolts no more?" asked Applejack, finding it hard to believe she was actually saying those words to the rainbow pony.

"Um... nah. Used to. Dunno why," replied Rainbow with a shrug.

"But... but... that's been like your life's ambition!" said Pinkie Pie.

"You work towards it every day," added Fluttershy.

"Not anymore. I mean, the Wonderbolts are cool and all, but join them? No way."

"Oh my goodness," said Rarity, "Twilight, it worked!"

"No it didn't," said Rainbow, "I just decided that's not what I want anymore."

Twilight let out a small laugh, "I think we should get your opinion on joining the Wonderbolts back to normal. This is kind of weirding us out," she said, "Now, could everypony be quiet again? Rainbow, I'm going to use the spell, okay?"

"Okay, but I'm tellin' ya, it didn't work."

"Now, like before, think about joining the Wonderbolts. Or rather, your lack of interest."

Twilight's horn glowed again and she cast the spell. The aura surrounded Rainbow Dash's head and her eyes unfocused. When the casting was over, she shook her head and blinked her eyes.

"So..." said Applejack, "You remember what you just said?"

"...Yeah, I..." a look of shock came over Rainbow's face, "I said I... _didn't_ want to join the Wonderbolts?"

The others nodded.

"Oh no! No, no, no, no! Don't tell them I said that!" she cried. The panicking pegasus turned to Applejack and grabbed her shoulders, "Promise me you guys won't ever tell them!"

"Calm down, sugarcube," said Applejack, gently prying Rainbow's hooves off and giving her a gentle smile, "You know we'd never do that. Besides, it's not like we get to talk to the Wonderbolts all the time. You didn't mean it, anyway."

"Actually, at the time, she meant every word," said Twilight.

"Wow! The spell's _that_ effective? Cool!" said Spike.

"_Not_ cool!" retorted the pegasus, "Wh–What if they were listening in?"

"Rainbow, somehow, ah sincerely doubt celebrities are spyin' on our party," said Applejack.

"Right. Yeah. Okay," said Rainbow, nodding, "I guess it _did_ work."

"Twilight, I'm a little worried about this spell," said Rarity, "Couldn't it be used for personal gain? I'm not suggesting _you_ would, of course, but do you understand what I'm saying?"

"I do. However, before I started studying it, I checked through all the components, and thankfully, there are some safeguards. First of all, I told Rainbow Dash I would be using the spell on her. That's one of the safeguards; the pony being affected must know they'll be the target. Secondly, the caster and the target must know what opinion or idea will be changed."

"And ah'm guessing silence is the third safeguard?" asked Applejack.

"Actually, I wanted quiet because I needed to concentrate. It's pretty tricky to pull off. No, the third safeguard is that the pony must be in agreement with the spell."

"Oh, okay. Now, excuse me fer askin', but what practical use does this have?"

"That's something I thought of before I started learning the spell," the unicorn turned to the yellow pegasus, "Fluttershy, is it alright if I used you in an example?"

"A–Are you going to use the spell on me?" asked the yellow pegasus nervously, blushing at the sight of everyone's eyes on her.

"No, no, just in a hypothetical situation."

"Um... okay..."

"Thanks. Alright, say I found a confidence building class for Fluttershy, and she was too nervous to attend, but I know it would be _guaranteed_ to improve her confidence. With your permission, Fluttershy, I would cast the spell and you would be fine with going."

"I know it's just an example," said Fluttershy, "But... if something like that existed, you wouldn't need to use the spell on me."

Twilight smiled, "I'm glad to hear that."

"So, if _I_ were to learn this," said Rarity, "And Sweetie Belle had to go to the dentist, which she _hates_ doing, I could essentially have her go along with it, no questions asked?"

"Exactly. As long as she agreed to the spell, that is."

"Ooh, the dentist," said Pinkie Pie, shuddering, "I hate going there, too."

"Your teeth must be a nightmare," commented the white unicorn, watching the pink pony biting into another slice of chocolate cake.

Pinkie swallowed her morsel, "Why?" she asked.

"Oh, just a feeling I get."

"Really? Is that like Pinkie Sense? Only I guess it would be called 'Rarity Sense'. What happens? Do you get a twitchy tail like me when something's going to fall? Or is there a combo? What kind of combo do you get? You know, if you get them."

"The only 'sense' I have, Pinkie, is '_Fashion_ Sense'. And there are no 'combos' or twitchy tails to tell me. My eyes are all I need."

"What do _they_ do?"

Rarity just rolled her eyes and sighed.

"Ooh! What does _that_ mean?"

The unicorn glared at Pinkie and opened her mouth to say something, found she had nothing to respond with, then closed it again.

Twilight clapped her hooves together, "Alright, everypony, I want to try one more thing out. Let's see if I can affect all of you at once."

"All of us at the same time?" asked Fluttershy, "Can you really do that?"

"Let's find out," replied the purple unicorn, smiling.

"Count me in!" said Pinkie.

"Sounds interesting. I'll take part," said Rarity.

"Again? Ah, what the hay, let's do it!" said Rainbow Dash.

"Ah'm up for it!" said Applejack.

"...I don't know... um... okay..." mumbled Fluttershy.

"Great! Okay, everyone take a moment to think. When you're ready, tell me," said Twilight, "Remember, it's only going to be temporary. Oh, and Spike, do you want to join?"

"Nah, I'll just watch," replied the dragon, and pointed over his shoulder with his thumb, "I'm gonna sit by the table and, uh... make sure the food doesn't get, y'know... stolen."

"Good idea, Spike," said Pinkie, "'cause I was thinking of having two more slices of chocolate cake when we were finished here," then she gasped as she got an idea, "Hey! That's what you should change _my_ mind about! Cake!"

"Save some for us!" said Rainbow, "Twilight, don't change hers back."

All the ponies took a few minutes to think, then told the purple unicorn their ideas.

"If there's one thing I don't _ever_ want to do, it's dye my beautiful hair green... so I suppose that'll do for mine," said Rarity, then narrowed her eyes, "And this had _better_ only be temporary!"

"Me? Ah always like wearin' mah good ol' hat. Just try and make me take it off fer _good_!" said Applejack, smiling, and pulled the brim of her hat down.

"Daring Do's awesome! I _dare_ ya to make me think she's not!" said Rainbow Dash, then added in a low voice to Applejack, "At least there's no chance of _her_ overhearing me," to which Applejack gave her a strange frown.

All eyes were on Fluttershy.

"Well, Fluttershy?" asked Twilight, "What about you?"

"Um... I don't know. I–I can't think of anything..." said the pegasus, not making eye contact with any of the other ponies.

"It can be pretty much anything. No matter how small or silly it is."

"Exactly," said Applejack, "Like me an' mah hat."

"I... I know, but... there's lots of things I've thought of, and... it'll only be for a short time, so..." Fluttershy's voice trailed off and she pushed a hoof back and forth.

"Say," piped up Rainbow, "How about something permanent for Fluttershy?" she asked Twilight.

"If it works out, then yes," agreed the unicorn.

"What about dragons? We could cure your fear of them by making you not think they're scary anymore."

"...Wouldn't that be dangerous?" asked Fluttershy, looking at Rainbow Dash with worried eyes, "What if... what if I decide to just walk up to a dragon because I didn't think they were scary?"

"No, no, you'd still know they were dangerous. You just wouldn't be scared of them. It wouldn't make you stupid. Right, Twilight?"

The purple unicorn thought about it for a moment, "Theoretically, it could help you. I don't know if the fear would resurface if you were actually faced with a dragon, since it's a deep-rooted phobia... but it's worth a shot."

"...If it might help, then... I'll do it," said Fluttershy, nodding.

"Great! Now, does everypony remember the rules for the spell? You all know I'm going to attempt to cast it on all of you at the same time, right? And you know your respective opinions, correct? And I trust you're all in agreement? Okay!"

"And we need quiet," added Rarity.

Twilight chuckled, "Yes, and that."

The unicorn took a deep breath. She closed her eyes, recalling what each of her friends had told her. Channelling her magic, she began the first phase of the spell and her horn glowed. The five ponies gathered around her watched, keeping their thoughts focused. She opened her eyes and took a quick glance at her friends.

Spike, sitting at the table with a soft drink, watched the spectacle. He was so mesmerised by the beautiful glowing light of the spell that he didn't notice the hand holding the glass cup loosening its grip until it fell from his grasp.

Gritting his teeth, he made a desperate, futile grab for it. Just as the beams of magical energy from Twilight's horn made contact with the other ponies, the glass smashed. Twilight and the others yelled out in shock. The magic emanating from Twilight's horn made an unhealthy wavering sound and a purple glow surrounded the heads of all the ponies. Then suddenly, it stopped. All the ponies slumped over, groaning and put their hooves to their heads.

"Is everypony okay?" asked Twilight.

"I think so," said Rainbow Dash with a moan.

"Ohhh, my head feels light as a balloon..." groaned Pinkie. Then she gasped, "Oh no! What happened? Did my head turn into a balloon?" she cried, feeling the shape of her head.

"Your head ain't a balloon," Applejack told her, "But mine feels the same."

Twilight looked over at the broken glass and spilled liquid, then at the purple dragon sitting at the table, his face a mask of worry and fear.

"_Spiiike!_"

Nothing made Spike's blood turn cold quicker than Twilight drawing out his name in a steadily rising tone.

"Come. Here."

Slowly, he got off his seat and walked towards the purple unicorn, teeth clenched. He looked around at the ponies as he stepped between Applejack and Rainbow Dash. They all had dazed expressions and unfocused eyes.

_This is my fault_, he thought, _I should've been more careful..._

He stood before Twilight, shoulders hunched.

"Twilight, I... I'm really sorry."

The unicorn shook her head vigorously, trying to clear it. She blinked rapidly then set her stern gaze on the dragon.

"Spike..." she said and sighed heavily, "You're lucky nopony got hurt. At least as far as we know."

"Twilight—" began Spike.

"Quiet!" said Twilight. The dragon instantly stopped speaking. She took another look around at her friends, "Alright, does, uh... does everyone remember what they wanted me to... uh..." she put a hoof to her head, "...To change their minds about?"

"Uh... yes," said Rarity, "I don't feel like dyeing my hair green. Thankfully."

"And I still find dragons scary," said Fluttershy.

"And, um... I don't want any more cake," said Pinkie and put a hoof over her stomach, "But then, that's my tummy talking..."

"Okay," said Twilight, "Apparently, the spell didn't work. I don't know _what's_ happened. Hopefully, everyone will be fine by tomorrow. And Spike?"

The dragon raised his eyes from the floor to meet Twilight's unsteady, wavering gaze.

"You really need to be more careful. We don't know what could have happened."

"I know. I'm sorry..."

Twilight turned her head away.

"Does everypony feel well enough to get home?" she asked.

"Ah don't think ah could make it all the way back," said Applejack, then groaned, "Ah really hope this goes away soon."

"There's no way I can fly with my head all funny," said Rainbow.

"Everyone else?" asked Twilight.

They shook their heads.

"Listen, I've got the space, so you can all stay overnight, if you want."

"I think that would be a good idea," said Rarity with a nod.

"Oh... I could go to sleep right now."

"Sounds like a plan," said Rainbow.

"Okay. Come on, everypony. I should have a spare blanket or two. A couple of you might have to sleep on the floor. Sorry about that."

"Ah've had to sleep on some hard ground before. No problem," said Applejack.

"I prefer clouds, but I think I can handle a floor," added Rainbow Dash, "I mean, tree branches aren't the softest things in the world, but you've seen me sleep on them sometimes."

"Oh yeah. _Sometimes_."

"In the meantime," said Twilight, "Spike? You can clean up."

Spike looked around at the food and confetti pieces, "What? By myself?" he asked, but then saw the unicorn's expression, "Right! I–I'll get on it!"

"Come on, girls," said Twilight, walking into the bedroom.

Rarity leaned closer to the dragon, "It's okay, Spike. We know you didn't mean it," she said in a low voice.

"Rarity, leave him to it."

The white unicorn turned at the sound of Twilight's voice. She faced Spike again and gave him a sympathetic smile, then turned and left.

Once Rarity was in the room, Twilight looked out at the dragon and watched as he got a brush to clear away the confetti. She let out a small sigh and closed the door.

"Twilight, I really don't think it's necessary to make him do that," said Rarity, "You can tell he feels bad about it."

"Believe me, I don't like punishing him, but he has to learn. What happened tonight was... it... I don't know what. My head's too cloudy to think," she said, then took a deep breath, "Listen, Rainbow, Applejack, the, uh, the blankets are in that closet there."

Twilight used her magic on the closet door, intending to open it gently, but instead, the door swung open forcefully. Applejack, who was walking towards the door, took a quick step back as it slammed open.

"Whoa, Nelly!"

"Sorry! I didn't mean to do that! Shoot! My head's buzzing so much, I can't even concentrate to open a door properly."

"Don't worry about it," said Applejack, "Me an' Rainbow'll get those quilts."

The ponies grabbed two duvets and two pillows and then laid one of the duvets on the floor in lieu of a mattress. They lay on it and pulled the second blanket over themselves.

"This ain't too bad," said Applejack.

Rainbow nodded in agreement.

"There's only two beds, so I guess the rest of us will have to double up," said Twilight.

Rarity climbed into the guest bed and closed her eyes momentarily to give herself a respite from her increasingly blurry vision. She opened her eyes and jumped when she saw Pinkie Pie lying next to her.

"Hi!" said the earth pony.

"When did you...?" started Rarity, then rolled onto her other side, "Just as long as you don't plan on talking the whole night."

Fluttershy clambered in next to the purple unicorn.

"Twilight, do you think everything will be alright tomorrow?"

"I don't know. With any luck, it should be."

The unicorn closed her eyes and tried to sleep. From the other side of the door, she could faintly hear Spike moving around, cleaning up.

_Sorry, Spike, but it's necessary..._ she thought.

While she still felt angry at him, she also felt remorseful. The few times she had to set a punishment, she always felt horrible, but Spike learned quickly, and whatever he was punished for, he never did again. She knew that tomorrow morning, they would make up. He would apologise, she would tell him he was forgiven, and after a hug, everything would be fine again. This brought a smile to her lips.

Thoughts flew through Twilight's mind uncontrollably, but she did her best to ignore them. Despite the noise in her head, the unicorn was eventually able to sleep. As she slept, an odd dream formed in her mind. It was indistinct, but a yellow pegasus seemed to be the most prevalent thing in it. She and the pegasus had an incoherent conversation – something about flying and dragons – then the thoughts in her head took over, growing in volume, throwing images at her, then all at once, became silent. All was quiet and peaceful.

That is, until she was awoken by somepony screaming.


	4. Chapter 4

_Rarity slowly cantered through Ponyville, looking left and right. She was searching for Carousel Boutique, but for some reason, she couldn't remember its location. She wasn't even sure where in Ponyville she was, even though she knew the town like the back of her hoof. The sun hanging low in the cloudless blue sky reminded her how late in the afternoon it was, and the white unicorn started to get anxious. She needed to get back to serve her customers and design new dresses._

_Suddenly, Pinkie Pie bounced past her, broadly smiling as always._

"_Pinkie!" Rarity called out, "Could you help me? Where am I?"_

"_In Ponyville, silly!" said Pinkie, jumping in place, "I'm going to a party! Wanna come?"_

"_I need to get back to Carousel Boutique, but I'm lost!"_

"_Okay! Follow me!" replied the pink pony and bounced off._

_Rarity suddenly found it hard to move her hooves. They felt heavy, as if they were made of stone. At that thought, Rarity looked down and saw they indeed were._

"_Hey! Wait for me!" she cried after Pinkie who had stopped to face her._

"_Come on, slowpoke! Hurry up!" said the pony, then continued bouncing away from Rarity and out of her sight._

"_Wait, I... I'm lost..." said Rarity, struggling to move her hooves._

With small, sharp intake of breath, Rarity opened her eyes and, still half-dreaming, moved her right foreleg forward and found it easy to do so. She wondered why her left foreleg was harder to move, then she realised she was lying on it in bed. The last strands of the dream fading from her mind, she climbed out of bed quietly so as not to disturb Pinkie or the others. Once all four hooves were on the floor, she noticed she didn't quite feel the way she normally did. Her stomach felt a little heavier and her energy was returning unusually quickly. There was something else that bothered her, but she couldn't place it.

She shrugged the feelings off and tried using her magic to make her side of the bed neat, but found herself unable to. That was when she noticed a strange empty feeling inside, like something was missing. Then she figured out what it was that was bothering her, nagging away at the back of her mind — she had gotten out of the opposite side of the bed she had been sleeping on. She checked the bed's other occupant and stiffened. She was staring at her own purple curls on the back of her own head.

_That's... me? But _I'm_ me! Where's Pinkie? _She_ should be in the bed! But... _is_ that me? And where's my magic? My horn's fine isn't..._

She choked when she looked up and found herself looking at, not her horn, but an overhanging pink fringe of hair.

_No, this is a dream! This has to be!_

Quickly, she made her way to the mirror in Twilight's bedroom. In the reflection, staring back at her with the same horrified expression, was Pinkie Pie. She raised a hoof — pink, not white — and the figure in the mirror did the exact same movement.

She squeezed her eyes shut and clenched her teeth to keep from screaming, but despite her efforts, the shrill sound escaped her. In Pinkie's voice.

.

Twilight's eyes flew open and she jerked awake, falling out of bed in the process. She scrambled to her hooves and faced the pink pony, who was standing at the unicorn's dressing mirror, breathing quickly.

"Pinkie, what's wrong?" she asked, half-noticing how strange her voice sounded.

She turned her head when she heard another yell from a voice that very much sounded like her own. It took her a few seconds to process what she was seeing. She was looking at herself holding her hooves in front of her, staring at them as if she had never seen them before.

_Is this an out of body experience?_ she thought, _It is, right? What am I doing looking at my hooves, anyway?_

She checked herself out, not sure what to expect, and gasped when she saw yellow hooves. And to side of her head, she saw a pink mane.

"Hey, what the...?" Twilight turned to the sound of Applejack's voice, "What's goin' on?"

"Oh, for the love of Pete, keep it down, would ya?" muttered Rainbow Dash, rolling over to fix Applejack with an annoyed gaze, but instead stared at her incredulously.

"Oh, come on! Would everyone just be quiet? Sheesh, and you say _I'm_ noisy?" growled Rarity, sitting up in bed, "Pinkie, why are you screaming, anyway?" then her face became a mask of confusion, "Wait, Pinkie? But... what... huh?"

Applejack jumped up, "Okay, what's goin' on?" she cried, her voice having strangely lost its usual drawl, "Why is everypony screaming, and why is there another me?" she asked, pointing an orange hoof at Rainbow Dash, "Another thing, why do I sound like Applejack? Why am I the same colour as her? Why—"

"Everypony just _calm down_!" yelled the yellow pegasus.

The others were so shocked at the timid pony's loud, authoritative voice that they all stopped and stared at her. Instead of looking away and apologising, she met each of their eyes confidently, although she seemed to keep eye contact with Twilight longer than anyone else, frowning as she did so.

The door burst open and Spike rushed in, almost tripping over his own feet, "What's going on? I keep hearing screaming!" he raised his hands to Twilight, asking for an explanation.

"Uhhh..." was all the unicorn could utter.

"Listen, everypony," said Fluttershy, "I think I've figured out what's going on. I don't know _how_ or _why_, but I think I know _what_."

She walked to the front of the room where everyone could see her, "I think we've all somehow switched bodies. Think about it — would the Fluttershy you know do what I'm doing right now?"

"You're right," said Applejack, "Okay, who are ya, and what did you do?" she asked, stalking towards Fluttershy.

"I'm Twilight," replied the pegasus, coolly.

The earth pony stopped in her tracks, "Say what?" she asked, then narrowed her eyes, "Oh, a trick? Well, you're not foolin' me! Give us our friend back!"

"And judging from your attitude, I'm guessing you're Rainbow Dash?"

"Yeah?"

"How _can_ you be if you're over there?" she asked, nodding at the rainbow pony at the back of the room.

'Applejack' turned to the blue pegasus, then back, "Because... because..." her mouth worked, but no sound came.

"Y'know, ah think she's right," said 'Rainbow Dash', the thick accent of the Apple Family evident, "Ain't no other explanation."

"And there's Applejack," noted 'Fluttershy'.

Spike grabbed his head in confusion, "Argh, what's going on? I don't get this! Applejack's Rainbow Dash and Rainbow Dash is Applejack and Fluttershy's Twilight? Oh, it's too early for this kinda thing!"

The pegasus put a hoof on his shoulder, "Don't worry about it, Spike, we'll get this figured out."

Spike looked between the bodies of the yellow pegasus and the purple unicorn.

"Twilight?"

Twilight the pegasus nodded.

"What happened?" asked Spike.

"It seems we've switched with whoever we were sleeping in close proximity to," she explained, "I don't know... maybe I accidentally cast some kind of mind-swap spell."

"Well change us back, then!" cried Rarity the earth pony, stamping a hoof.

"I can't if I don't know what spell was used. Besides, I don't have my horn, any more. Well, I do, but..." she looked over at Fluttershy the unicorn, still awkwardly sitting in bed.

Fluttershy reached up and tapped the horn lightly with one of her purple hooves.

"My horn is on _my_ other body, too," said Rarity, tapping a pink hoof and eyeing Pinkie the unicorn, "You'd better be careful with my mane."

Pinkie blinked, "I've heard of talking to yourself, but this is ridiculous," she said, then instantly smiled, "Hee-hee, it's kinda funny, too!"

"Must you pull such ridiculous expressions with _my_ face? Besides, it's not funny!"

"Rarity, please calm down," said Twilight.

"Sorry, Fluttershy, er... Twilight," said the pink pony, "I'm just frustrated! My lovely purple curls are gone, my beautiful white coat is no longer mine, and I have business to run! I can't go to work tomorrow looking like... _this_!" she said, flicking her pink fringe.

"Ah'm sure..." started Applejack, then put a hoof to her throat after hearing Rainbow Dash say those words, "Usin' this voice is gonna take some gettin' used to... anyway, ah'm sure everypony would understand if we told them all what happened."

"No, no, no! We can't!" said Twilight, widening Fluttershy's already large eyes, "I can't imagine what would happen if Princess Celestia found out!"

"Just say it was an accident," suggested Rainbow Dash, affixing Applejack's hat to her head.

"Yeah... mine..." said Spike, "I'll take the blame, Twilight."

"You don't understand," said Twilight, "I'm not supposed to learn spells of that level, yet. Affecting just one pony was hard, but pulling it off made me feel good. I got... overconfident. I'm sorry, girls..." apologised the pegasus and lowered her head, closely resembling the real Fluttershy, "If the Princess finds out... let's just not tell everyone, okay?"

"So, what? We act like we're somepony else?" asked Rainbow Dash.

"...For now, yes. Besides, if other ponies found out, they could essentially take advantage of us."

"Ah see where you're comin' from, Twi, but lyin' about who ah am? Eh..." said Applejack.

"I understand this will be hard, Applejack, but it's for everypony's safety."

"Ah guess..."

"It's not that hard being me, AJ," said Rainbow Dash, "Just remember, now you're the coolest pegasus in Equestria!"

"Yeah, great. But ah'd much rather be mah old applebuckin' self."

"You think I don't want to be me, either? I miss my wings."

"I know how you all feel. We'll fix this," said Twilight.

"How?" asked Applejack.

"With magic. But the only ones who can use that now are Pinkie and Fluttershy."

"Pinkie Pie with a horn," said Rainbow Dash, "Now why doesn't that thought make me feel all warm and fuzzy?"

"I could cover you in nice, warm fur if you wanted," said Pinkie and pointed her white horn at the orange earth pony, "Abracadabra, alakazam!"

Nothing happened.

"Pinkie, stop that. You don't even know what you're doing," said Rarity.

"...I don't know how to use magic, either," said Fluttershy, feeling strange sitting with a magical horn plainly visible on her head.

"We can teach both of you," said Twilight, "Just remember, you're not going to learn overnight. But before that, we need to figure out which spell was used in the first place. Let's get started."

The ponies walked out of the bedroom and into the main room of the library, but Twilight stayed behind with Spike.

"Spike?" she said.

"Yeah?"

"Listen... I'm sorry I got angry at you last night. _I'm_ the one who should've been careful. I shouldn't have gotten in over my head."

"It was my fault, really. I dropped that glass..."

"No, I'm putting the blame on myself, alright?" said Twilight with a small smile, "Do you forgive me?"

"Wait, you're asking _me_ to forgive _you_?"

She nodded.

"Yeah, of course I forgive you. But I still–"

"Don't," she interrupted. Then she held a foreleg out, asking for a hug. The dragon awkwardly walked into her embrace. It felt strange to be hugging Twilight while also seeing her walking around from further away.

They broke the embrace and looked at each other for a moment. The dragon stared into the soft green eyes of Fluttershy and saw Twilight behind them.

"Come on, Number One Assistant," said the pegasus, "Let's help the others."

.

"So, uh, what exactly are we lookin' for?" asked Applejack, running a hoof along the spines of books.

"Basically, magic spells," replied Twilight, "Specifically, a mind-altering spell that allows the switching of bodies or minds or something to that effect."

The former unicorn focused on three books and attempted to float them in front of her face, but found she was unable to summon her magic. She was confused at the absence she felt inside her, then remembered she was in Fluttershy's body. The pegasus sighed and pulled a book out by hoof, wondering how earth ponies and pegasi could cope with having to physically handle everything they wanted to use.

Once she had the book, she again instinctively attempted to use magic to open it and flip though the pages. She shook her head at herself and placed the book on a lectern.

_What a bother..._ she thought as she flipped the front cover open and read through the contents.

Twilight scanned the page and her eyes happened on a spell called _Mind Over Matter_. She had a feeling it wasn't what she was looking for, but hoping against hope, she flipped to the page it was listed on — at a, to her, frustratingly slow pace — and quickly read through it. As she suspected, it wasn't the spell she needed; it was used to raise the mental processes of a pony for a short time, with the side effect of lowering their physical abilities.

_Another spell to stay away from for a long, long while..._ she thought, flipping back to the contents again. Seeing nothing else close to what she wanted, Twilight closed the book and placed it back on the shelf.

Half an hour of searching later, as Twilight was carrying another book to the lectern, she heard Pinkie Pie's voice calling out to her.

"Twilight, I believe I've found it!"

Hastily putting the book on the lectern, the pegasus rushed over next to the pink pony, "Are you sure?" she asked, skimming the page Rarity was indicating with her hoof.

"Yes, yes, this looks like it!" said Twilight excitedly, "Let's see; swaps the minds of two ponies in close proximity. If three or more are present, the spell will lie dormant. The two ponies wishing to swap minds must stay within approximately four feet of each other for at least an hour. While the spell is active, it can cause headaches, nausea, and/or drowsiness. May be cast multiple times."

Her brow furrowed as she silently read over the directions, noting that they were very similar to the spell she had intended to cast the night before.

"Oh boy, this is a tricky one," she said, shaking her head.

"Just... tell us what to do and we'll do it," said Fluttershy.

"Yeah, we can handle it!" added Pinkie.

Twilight's eyes flicked between the two unicorns, "I doubt either of you will be able to do this right now."

"Why?" asked Pinkie.

"I'll put it this way — try and lift this book with your magic," replied the pegasus, nodding to the book in front of her.

"Alright! Stand back!" said the white unicorn. Twilight rolled her eyes and did so.

Pinkie locked her gaze on the book, a determined look on her face. She pointed her horn at it, leaned forward, waved her hooves, and even stood on her head — an act that caused Rarity to bring a hoof to her face — but the book remained where it was.

"Uh... I dunno how to do that," said Pinkie on all fours again.

"Fluttershy, do you want to try?" asked Twilight.

"...I know I can't..." replied Fluttershy quietly.

"It's okay. I wasn't expecting either of you to. But like I said, we'll teach you how."

"I'll do what I can to help," said Rarity, "But I still have to get back to Carousel Boutique tomorrow. Or rather... Pinkie Pie does."

"And _you_ have to go to Sugarcube Corner tomorrow," replied Pinkie, "Do you know how to bake cakes? I have to do that tomorrow. But since you're me, I guess that means _you_ have to do that tomorrow. Or would that still count as me? Hmmm..."

"Oh shoot!" cried Rainbow Dash suddenly, "What time is it?"

"About nine o'clock," replied Spike, "Why?"

"I just remembered, I gotta be in Cloudsdale around noon to start my weather patrol! But Applejack, you'll have to do it."

"Weather patrol?" asked Applejack, "Ah dunno what you do there."

"Pretty simple — we fly around an area and make sure no clouds are where they shouldn't be. If they are, we kick them apart or move them."

"Cloud kickin' ah should be able to handle, but ah don't know your patrol route. Or how to fly."

"You shouldn't need to worry about the route. You'll be assigned to a group leader, so just follow them. And flying's easy, so don't get worked up about it."

Applejack unfurled her wings, feeling muscles she never had before stretch, "So you just need to flap these up an' down?"

"Both in time, yeah."

"I'd better practice, too," said Twilight, unfurling her own wings, "I wouldn't make a very good pegasus if I couldn't fly."

"Alright, now the harder you beat your wings, the higher you'll go," said Rainbow, "Once you're at the height you need to be, just casually start flapping."

She sighed and looked back at her new body, missing her wings.

Applejack gave her wings a few test flaps, getting a feel for how they worked. Then, she gave two great beats and lifted off the ground. Caught off-guard at the sudden increase in altitude, she began frantically flapping, slowly losing height before steadying and hovering a few feet off the floor.

"Hey! Ah'm flyin'! Wow!" she cried.

"Yeah... great," muttered Rainbow Dash, turning her head away.

"Hey, come on, Rainbow. You'll have yer wings back in no time."

The earth pony sighed, "Yeah..."

Twilight, having watched Applejack, lifted herself off the ground and found she was swaying from side to side.

"Twilight, keep your body level," said Rainbow Dash, noticing her friend was having trouble controlling herself, "You move to whatever side you dip your legs."

The pegasus managed to level herself out. She experimented dipping her left legs and, sure enough, she floated in that direction. Within an hour, the two pegasi were slowly, albeit a little unsteadily, flying around the main room of the library.

"Applejack. Twilight. You're doing great," said Fluttershy.

Rainbow forced a smile, "Awesome. Definitely," she said, wishing she could join them.

After a few more minutes the two landed.

"Okay, before we do anything else, I say we eat," suggested Twilight.

"We'll get it, right Spike?" said Pinkie.

"Sure," said the dragon with a nod.

Spike and Pinkie Pie made their way to the kitchen.

"Be careful with my mane while you're doing that," Rarity called after them.

**.**

While they were eating, Applejack was struck with a thought, "Hey, since we're gonna be actin' like each other, ah think we should start learnin' ta _talk_ like each other. Me, ah gotta try and lose this accent when talkin' to everypony else."

"Good point," said Rarity, "Pinkie, do you think you could try and be more refined in your speech?"

"'Kay!" replied Pinkie, "Uh, I mean, okay!"

"Try, 'Certainly, dear'."

"Um... certainly... dear."

"That's more like it. And I'll have to be more, shall we say, animated."

"Let's see! Let's see!" cried Pinkie excitedly.

Rarity rolled her eyes, "Must I? Now?" she asked.

"Yeah! Do it!"

Swallowing her pride, the pink pony repeatedly jumped up and down, "Wooooo," she said, half-enthusiastically, then sighed, "This is so degrading."

"Alright! Go Rarity!"

"Eh, not bad," said Applejack, "Just a little more energy and you'll be pretty close."

"Yeah. Then times that by, like, a thousand and it'll be perfect," added Rainbow Dash.

"Oh, by the way," said the blue pegasus, "Do ah... _I_... sound like Rainbow Dash right now?" she asked her friends, consciously trying to subdue her accent.

"Um... that ain't bad," said Rainbow, doing her best not to overdo Applejack's drawl, "How 'bout me?"

"None too shabby, yerself. Ah mean, you're not too shabby, yourself."

Twilight giggled, "This is weird. But I think if we all stick to it, we should be able to pull off each other without anypony noticing. I'll have to start speaking more quietly. And Fluttershy? I'm afraid you'll have to speak up a little more."

"I'll try," responded the unicorn.

"After you're finished eating, Fluttershy, Pinkie, me and Rarity will get you started on using magic."

"And with any luck, we'll be our old selves again soon," added Rarity, "_Very_ soon, I hope."


	5. Chapter 5

"No time like the present. Let's get started," said Twilight.

Fluttershy and Pinkie nodded and followed the pegasus to a lectern, ready to begin learning about magic.

"We'll start off simple," said Twilight, "Lifting objects is one of the easiest things you can do. Books," she pointed to a red bound novel on the lectern, "are what you'll be practicing on. But before you can do that, you need to know how to summon your magic."

"Question!" said Pinkie, raising a hoof, "Instead of lifting books, can't we just start with that mind-spell thingy?"

"Oh no, no, no! That's _far_ too complex for now. That would be like... say... like an amateur baker trying to make a scale model of Ponyville from cakes."

"Oh, I get it. Okay!"

"With magic, like anything, you need to start off simple, _then_ move on to bigger things. But as I said, you need to know how to summon your magic before you can do anything else."

"Is that difficult?" asked Fluttershy.

The pegasus shook her head, "It shouldn't be. Let's try. Now, what I want you to do is concentrate and search inside yourself. To the core of your being."

"How do we do _that_?" asked Pinkie, cocking her head.

Twilight put a hoof to her chest, "You should sense something inside you. You'll know it when you feel it."

"Okay. I'll try," said Fluttershy and closed her eyes. Pinkie followed suit.

It only took a few seconds for both unicorns to find the powerful energy inside their bodies. The two gave small gasps and opened their eyes.

"Is that magic?" the purple unicorn whispered in awe.

"How does it feel?" asked Twilight, intrigued by her friends' amazement at something she took for granted every day.

"It's... it's..." stammered Pinkie, racking her brains. She found herself struggling for words; something which didn't happen very often, "Wow, I don't know! I've never felt _anything_ like this before!"

"It's like it's there... but also like it's... _not_ there," said Fluttershy with a frown, unsure of what she was saying.

"But it feels right. A part of me."

"That's because it is," said Twilight, "Both of you are correct. Your magic is there, but only unicorns and other magical beings can sense it. In fact, pegasi and even earth ponies have a tiny bit of magic inside them, they just can't use it."

"So how do _we_ use it?" asked Pinkie.

"Now that you know how to find it, using it is all a matter of simply willing it to do what you want. Although, for more complex spells, you'll have to concentrate to keep it in line. I won't lie — magic can be very volatile if not used properly."

The two unicorns exchanged anxious glances.

"Don't worry. I'm sure you two can manage it. But let's see how you do with simple levitation. Who wants to try first?"

"Oh, you go ahead, Pinkie," mumbled Fluttershy.

"You sure?" asked the white unicorn.

The other unicorn nodded.

"'Kay."

Pinkie cantered forward and awaited Twilight's instructions.

"Thanks, Pinkie," said the pegasus pony, "Now, find your magic and will it to your horn."

The white unicorn looked back at her friends worriedly.

"What if I cast something by accident?" she asked Twilight.

"It won't do anything unless you tell it to. Your horn can store the magic indefinitely until you dispel it."

Pinkie took a deep breath, "Okay. Here goes."

The unicorn searched inside for her magic again and found it easily. With a thought, she willed the magic to her horn like Twilight told her. She felt a strange sensation as the mystical energy passed through her body and flowed to her horn.

"Yes, you did it!" said Twilight, smiling.

Still wary, Pinkie looked up to check her horn and found it to be glowing a light azure colour.

"...So, it's gonna stay there?" she asked, barely moving.

"Yes, Pinkie. Now relax; you won't accidentally cast a spell. Besides, you need to study them, first."

The white unicorn eased her tense muscles.

"Shall we get you started?" asked Twilight.

"Sure."

"Good. What I want you to do is focus on the book. Next, have your magic surround it in the same way you brought it to your horn."

Pinkie peered at the book and reached out with her magic. The novel was surrounded by a blue glow, ready to be manipulated.

"Great!" said Twilight, "Now you just tell it where to go and what to do with your mind. Try lifting it up a little and slowly bringing it towards you."

The unicorn thought of the book lifting from its position and smiled when it happened before her eyes. Encouraged by this, she made it float towards her. Unfortunately, it was moving a little too fast, but she managed to stop the bestseller before it hit her in the face, taking a reflexive step back at the same time.

"Try to be careful," said Rarity, "That _is_ my body, after all. I'd like it back in one piece."

"Oopsie. Sorry."

"It's alright," said Twilight, "You did good for a first try. Now put it back."

The book floated — slowly, this time — back to where it was originally on the lectern.

"Fluttershy. Your turn."

With a nervous gulp, the purple unicorn stepped forward. She closed her eyes and brought her magic forth, making her horn glow.

Like a teacher instructing a student, Twilight took Fluttershy through the same steps as she did with Pinkie, the quiet pony showing around the same level of skill as her louder friend.

"Okay, good," said Twilight, "Practice that a few times until you become comfortable with it and can move things exactly where you want."

"In the meantime," said Applejack with a sigh, "Ah gotta get mah keester over to Cloudsdale. Ya mind directin' me where ah should go, Rainbow?"

"Yeah, no problem," replied the earth pony, "I know Cloudsdale so well, I could fly around there with my eyes closed," she claimed. Then a thoughtful look appeared on her face, "Hmmm... maybe I should try that when I get my wings back...?"

"While you're decidin', how about we get a move on?"

"Alright, hold your horses. We got plenty of time," replied Rainbow, walking out the door with Applejack following, "Bye, you guys!"

"See you later!" Pinkie called after them, waving energetically until the door closed.

"Okay, let's continue," said Twilight, placing another book on a separate lectern, "I want you two to practice with these books. Make them float, rotate them, open them up, do everything you can."

"How long should we do that?" asked Pinkie.

"Basically, until it feels natural."

"Will that take long?"

"I don't know. I've never heard of a situation like this before. Hopefully, since you're in a unicorn body, it won't take _too_ long."

"In the meantime, what should _we_ do?" asked Rarity, who had stayed out of the lesson Twilight was giving, as the pegasus seemed to have everything covered.

"I guess I'll practice flying some more. I'm still a little wobbly."

"Hmmm. Myself, I'm slightly rusty when it comes to baking cakes, so I suppose I could do that. Do you have any cooking books?"

Putting a yellow hoof to her chin, Twilight thought for a moment, "I...ah! Yes, I do. You see over there?" she indicated to a bookcase nearby, "If I remember correctly, that'll have a few things to help you out."

"Thank you. Would it be alright if I used your kitchen? I can pay you back for anything I use."

"...I don't know if I'll have everything you need, but sure."

"I'll work on something small, just to get into the swing of things. Once I get to Sugarcube Corner, I should be able to squeeze in some more practice there. Are you expected back at any particular time, Pinkie?" she asked, sliding a cookery book out.

The white unicorn, who was focused on using her magic, turned towards Rarity, "What'd you say?"

However, this shift in concentration caused the book she was using to careen towards the earth pony. Rarity cried out and ducked, covering her head with her hooves. The novel sailed overhead and thwacked against a wall and then fell to the ground with a soft _thump_.

"Rarity, are you okay?" asked Spike.

"Pinkie! Be careful!" scolded the earth pony, standing up.

"Sorry. I'm still new to this," apologised the unicorn.

Rarity took a deep breath to calm herself, "Be mindful of what you're concentrating on when you're holding something."

Twilight nodded, "I should have mentioned that", she said with an apologetic expression, "Your attention was suddenly on Rarity, so the book was thrown in her direction. Remember to keep what your holding in mind and don't focus on something else entirely."

"Okay," said Pinkie, "Sorry, Rarity."

The pink pony shook her head, "It's fine. Just... be more careful, please. Now, I asked you if you had to be back at Sugarcube Corner any particular time?"

"Ummm... no. Some time before night, I guess."

"Alright, I'll stay until around lunch, then I'll make my way over."

"Be quiet when you go in. Pound and Pumpkin usually have their nap around then."

"I'll remember that. By the way, _you_ had better not stay here too long, either. Maybe another hour or so. I want you to go to Carousel Boutique. You see, Sweetie Belle has been left in my care for a while because she is having her room redecorated. So I want you to make sure she's okay and has finished her homework. Not to mention you should at least attempt to make some dresses."

"I gotta learn magic _and_ dress making?"

"We'll all have to learn new skills and adjust our way of life for a while," said Twilight, and lifted off with her wings, veering to her left a little, then came to a wobbly hover, "I'm afraid there's no way around it."

Pinkie lowered her head and nodded. She picked up the book she had accidentally thrown earlier with her magic and slowly floated it towards her. Rarity waited for a moment to make sure her friend didn't launch the book through the air again and then walked into the kitchen.

.

A while later, the four ponies, along with Spike, sat in the library's large main room around a table on which a plate was seated, holding some cakes Rarity had baked. They were small and roughly cylindrical with a topping of whipped cream.

"Sorry they're so plain," said Rarity, "but I didn't have too much to work with."

"I've not exactly got a fully-stocked kitchen, I know," said Twilight.

"I wasn't expecting to be able to make anything fancy, anyway. And I _will_ reimburse you, I promise. But in the meantime, could you all please taste these and tell me how I did?"

"I think I'll just use my hooves to pick this up," said Pinkie as she reached out and took a cake, "We don't need these flying around."

"Oh, and, could you be honest?"

Rarity tapped the tips of her front hooves together as she waited for her friends' verdicts.

"Well?" she asked.

"Um... one of the best cakes I've ever tasted," said Fluttershy.

"I said be honest."

The unicorn averted her eyes, "I... I was..."

"Please."

"Honestly?" said Twilight, "Not that bad."

"Yeah, that tasted great, Rarity!" said Spike.

The pink pony raised an eyebrow at him.

"Okay, okay," he said, "It didn't taste great, but it didn't taste bad, either."

"I suppose I'll take that as a compliment. Pinkie, what did you think?"

"Eh... s'okay. Try stirring the mixture for a little longer. Makes the cake not fall apart so much in your mouth so you can enjoy eating it."

"Yeah, it did kind of... disintegrate, for lack of a better word," said Twilight.

"I see. I'll keep that in mind," said Rarity, putting a hoof to her chin, "Anyway Pinkie, I think it's about time you got going."

"Already?" asked Pinkie, blinking in surprise.

The earth pony nodded, "It's been about an hour, yes. Please check on Sweetie Belle."

"Alright, don't you worry! She's safe with me! I'll take care of her like she was my own sister. And I guess she is, now. Only she's not. But she kind of is. But she isn't. Actually, I'd say it's more—"

"Pinkie!"

"Oh! Sorry!" said the unicorn, smiling apologetically.

"One thing before you go."

"Uh-huh?"

"Try to remember to act like me. So no hopping around and cramming your face with cupcakes and wearing a silly grin all the time."

"Okay, okay, I'll remember," said Pinkie, then turned to leave. She stopped at the door and looked over her shoulder, "Twilight, should I try to open the door with my magic or not?"

"That depends. How well do you think you've managed with the book?" asked the pegasus while lowering herself to the ground.

"I think I've got the hang of it. Hee, I made it fly around like Rainbow Dash earlier, remember?"

"Yes, and knocked a whole shelf of books off at the same time."

"Yeah, that was an accident."

"I know, but just remember: magic is _not_ a toy. Anyway, go ahead and try it. Be gentle."

Pinkie summoned her magic and focused on the door, making it glow. Biting her lower lip in concentration, the white unicorn slowly swung the door open, then dispelled her magic.

She turned to her friends and flamboyantly raised a hoof in the air, "I bid you goodbye, dears. I must go and be fabulous, now!" she said, and with that, magically closed the door, although a little too hard.

Rarity shook her head at the unicorn's act, "I suppose that was passable," she said to the pegasus, who wasn't trying to hide her grin.

.

At lunchtime, Rarity closed the cookery book she was leafing through — _Tasty Techniques_ — and rubbed her eyes.

"I should be setting off," she said, "Would you mind if I borrowed this, Twilight? I'm learning quite a bit from it."

The pegasus turned her attention from Fluttershy, who was attempting to stop a book from spinning around in mid-air, "Sure, no problem. I think Pinkie left her saddlebags in here somewhere..."she said, looking around, "Spike? Did you see them?"

"Oh, yeah. I put them over here when I was cleaning up last night", replied the dragon, crossing the room and picking up the white bags with their balloon-shaped buckles. He grunted as he hefted the bags, "What's she got in here, anyway?"

"Probably some stuff for the party that we didn't use," said Twilight with a shrug, then turned back to Fluttershy, who had managed to stop the book from spinning, but now had it open upside-down.

Spike heavily set the bags down next to Rarity. The earth pony took the book in her mouth, but the dragon lightly put his hands on it, "Let me get that for you, Rarity."

The pony let him take it, "Thank you, Spike," she said, smiling.

He returned the smile and opened one of the satchels. He stumbled back when, to everyone's surprise, three balloons, fully inflated, floated out. Spike looked inside the bag, "How did she fit them in there?"

He shrugged and slid the book into the empty pouch. Rarity ducked her head and slipped on the saddlebags.

"A little heavy, but... I can manage," said Rarity, "Alright, then. I'll see you three later. Good luck with your studies, Fluttershy. Remember to move at your own pace. Don't try to advance too quickly. That could end badly."

"Exactly right," said Twilight, "Don't worry about moving along slowly. Just stick with it, and you'll get it," the pegasus then looked over to Rarity, "Well, see you later. Have fun!"

"I'll try. Adieu."

Fluttershy and Spike bid her farewell and the pink pony left.

"I hope we can get everypony back to who they are soon," said Spike, half to himself, "I like Pinkie and everything, but I'm not looking forward to hearing her — or her voice, at least — calling me 'Spikey-wikey'."

"It'll take as long as it takes, and that's it," said Twilight, slightly worried that Spike's off-hand comment had made Fluttershy feel pressured, "Besides, I think you can handle Rarity talking in Pinkie Pie's voice for a while."

"I guess..."

"So, ready to continue, Fluttershy?"

The unicorn sighed, "Okay."

"What's wrong?"

"...Oh, i–it's nothing."

"Come on, what is it?"

Fluttershy's ears flattened, "No, it's nothing," she said, averting her eyes.

Twilight fixed her with a look, "Magic needs your full attention. You don't want to have something else weighing on your mind, especially if you're just starting out."

"Sorry. I'm... I'm just a little tired."

The pegasus smiled, "Is that all? Yeah, I suppose it's time for a break."

Fluttershy's eyes wandered over to a window and she gazed out at the azure sky.

"I hope Applejack is doing okay," she said.

"You know Applejack. She'll do fine."

"You're right," said Fluttershy. Then the image of Angel entered her head, "Listen, um, Twilight?"

"Uh-huh?"

"Well, uh, shouldn't you be at my cottage taking care of the animals?"

The pegasus blinked, "I should. But... your studies..."

"I can keep an eye on them," offered Spike.

"I don't know. I mean, I _do_ need to take care of the animals, but Spike, you're not a unicorn. How can you—?"

"Hey, I hang around one every day. One of the most _talented_ every day. I think I've learned a few things about how magic works."

Twilight blushed at his praise, "...Okay. I guess I'll give you a chance at this," she said.

"Just leave it to me!"

"_But_... if that's going to happen, Fluttershy's going to have to know your duties here — and also what you're allowed to do... and what you're _not_ allowed to do."

"What do you mean, 'what I'm not allowed to do'?"

"Oh, nothing much. Just things like, no eating whole tubs of ice-cream."

"Nah, I've learned my lesson," said Spike, putting a hand over his stomach in remembrance of his last ice-cream induced stomach ache.

"I wonder about that. But anyway, fetch me a quill and paper, please."

"Sure thing."

Spike waddled off to get what Twilight requested. Once he was out of earshot, the pegasus stepped closer to Fluttershy. In a low voice, she said, "Not saying anything bad about him, but I just don't want him to take advantage of your kind nature. Try not to cave in. _Especially_ in regards to the ice-cream."

"Don't worry, I'll take care of him," replied Fluttershy.

Twilight smiled, "Thanks."

The baby dragon returned with the quill and paper.

"What are you gonna write?" he asked.

"Things you should already know about how to conduct yourself here, meaning Fluttershy should _never have to let you see this_," she said as meaningfully as possible.

With that, Twilight wrote down the "house rules", although she was finding it awkward to write with a quill using her mouth.

"Here you go," she said, presenting the rules to Fluttershy. The unicorn took the paper in her hooves and read over them.

"Oh, I see... and that makes sense... and... okay, I've got it," said Fluttershy.

"Right. Would you be fine if I left now?"

"Um... yes. I promise I'll continue practicing once I've refreshed myself."

"Alright. I'll head over to your cottage and check back in every so often."

"Oh, about Angel. He's a bit, uh..."

"I know."

"Try not to take anything he does personally. He means well. He just has a different way of showing it."

"Okay. Thanks," said Twilight, then walked to the front door, "You behave, Spike. See you later!" she called over shoulder as she left.

"So..." said Spike once the door closed, "How about we have ice-cream while you're on your break?"

Fluttershy ignored his large, hopeful smile and consulted the paper, "Um... Twilight says 'no'."

"Aw..."


	6. Chapter 6

"There's Cloudsdale," said Rainbow Dash, looking up at the sky city, "Beautiful, huh?"

"Sure is," agreed Applejack, flying next to the earth pony.

"Yeah. But how it looks isn't really important right now. You need to know how to get to the weather station. Now like I said, I could fly around there—"

"With yer eyes closed, yeah. Ah remember."

"Fine, fine, I'll get on with it," said Rainbow, rolling her eyes, "Okay, you see that strip on the right?" she said, pointing at a long, narrow outcropping of clouds, "That's Nimbus Port. You have to check in and out of Cloudsdale at the ports. That one's pretty close to the station, so you won't have far to go."

"Check in?"

"Yeah. Just a security check, no big deal. Ever since Cloudsdale got wind of the changelings, we've had to prove we are who we say. I don't think we need to worry about those creeps any more, but I don't make the rules."

"What'll ah need to do?"

"They'll ask for your name, first. Rainbow Dash, obviously. Then your position: Weather Patroller, First Class. And lastly, your Pegasus ID Code: Four-six-three-four, in my case. Then they'll let you through."

"Wait, wait, position and code, again?"

"Okay. Position: Weather Patroller, First Class."

"Right."

"Pegasus ID Code: Four-six-three-four."

"Right."

Applejack repeated the position and code to herself a few times.

"Ah think ah've got it."

"I hope so. Now, to get to the weather station from the port, go straight along the road dead ahead from the exit and turn right at Sunny's Restaurant — good place to eat, by the way — then take the second left and you should see it along the street on your right."

The two went over all the details several times to make sure Applejack remembered everything.

"Okay," said Applejack, "Now, before ah go, is there anythin' else ah should know?"

Rainbow Dash thought for a moment, then shook her head, "Nah. I think that's everything. So, you ready?"

"A bit nervous, but alright otherwise," said the pegasus with a hint of a quiver in her voice. She took a deep breath and nodded, "Okay, ah'm goin'. Oh, and you should get along to Sweet Apple Acres. It's the middle of Summer, and we gotta buck our trees while the apples are at their best. Now, the trick is—"

"Yeah, yeah, shouldn't be too hard. I got it. It'll be like kicking clouds."

"Uh, probably. Anyway, ah best be goin'. See ya later, Rainbow!"

"Good luck, AJ!"

Applejack beat her wings and headed towards Cloudsdale, the home of the pegasi.

.

Rainbow Dash glumly watched her friend fly towards the city the former pegasus grew up in.

_This isn't permanent... you'll be back in the air once Pinkie and Fluttershy get a hold of magic..._ the young earth pony thought to herself, doing her best not to let the situation get to her.

Taking one more look at her own form flying away — a feeling she found _very_ strange — Rainbow turned and headed back to Ponyville. Normally, she would know exactly which direction to head, as she could make out Sweet Apple Acres from the air, but she didn't know the terrain very well from the ground. Once she got back to town, she would be able to figure out where to go.

.

Finally landing on Nimbus Port, Applejack turned her head and saw a short line of pegasi forming in front of the gate leading to Cloudsdale, while on the opposite side, a group of six were preparing to take off.

_Here goes... now remember to keep yer accent down, Applejack..._

As she walked to join the four other pegasi lined up, she noted how soft the clouds were. She had felt them before, when she and her friends had come to cheer Rainbow Dash at the Best Young Flyer competition, and they felt just like she remembered. They were softer than the softest carpet, yet at the same time, for pegasi, were as solid as the earth they serenely floated above.

While she waited, Applejack repeated the details she had to give in her head. When her turn was up, the pegasus stepped forward.

A middle-aged yellow pegasus with a brown mane and a clipboard in her hooves looked at the young pegasus and pushed up her reading glasses.

"Name?" she asked in a tone that made it clear she was bored.

"Uh... uh, Rainbow Dash."

_Darn it! Gettin' all nervous here!_

The older pegasus raised an eyebrow at her as she flipped through the pages on her clipboard, "Forget your own name or something there?"

"Heh. Ah had a crazy mornin'," said Applejack with a nervous smile.

"Right," replied the pegasus, "Position?"

"...Weather Patroller, First Class."

"PID Code?"

"Four-three-six-four."

"You sure about that?"

"Um... oh! I mean, four-_six_-_three_-four."

"Alright, go on through," said the pegasus with a sigh.

"Thanks."

"Yeah. Next!"

The guard standing in front of the barred gate moved to the side and opened it. Applejack quickly stepped through, glad that was all over. With no small amount of wonder, she gazed around at the white buildings and pillars. She now stood in Cloudsdale proper.

_This city is so beautiful up close..._

"Hey lady, would ya mind movin'? You're blockin' the gate," said the guard.

"What? Oh, sure," said Applejack, stepping aside.

_Way to ruin the moment..._ she thought with some annoyance, _Now, where was the station, again? Straight on 'til that restaurant, then take a right and then... a left? Yeah, second left..._

The pegasus unfurled her wings, then took off in the direction of Sunny's restaurant, hoping she would be able to keep up her act. She also hoped Rainbow Dash would be able to give a convincing enough impersonation. She didn't like deceiving other ponies, but like Twilight said, some may take advantage that the six weren't themselves anymore.

Up ahead, she spotted a yellow circle with the words _Sunny's Restaurant_ in front of it. The large sign was on top of a long, blue building with windows running along its length.

_Maybe ah'll pop in there after ah'm done..._

She dipped her right legs and turned the corner, keeping an eye out for left junctions. It didn't take too long at the speed she was going. After finding the second left, she turned and slowed, looking for the weather station. Less than halfway down the street, she saw a large building with an arch doorway. Above it, in plain lettering, _Cloudsdale Weather Station_. This was the place. The pegasus opened the door and walked in.

.

"Time to be AJ," Rainbow Dash said quietly to herself walking up the path to the Apple Family house. Opening the door, she saw Apple Bloom sitting on the floor of the living room, staring at a book with a pencil in her mouth. Hearing the door open, she looked up.

"Affle–" the filly dropped the pencil, "Applejack! Where have you been?"

"Oh, just decided to stay overnight at Twilight's," replied Rainbow, remembering just in time to put on an accent.

"Why?"

"Well... why not?"

"...So, if ah just decided to stay over at Sweetie Belle's without tellin' anypony, that'd be alright?"

_Oh... what would Applejack say here?_

"I... well... no. See, ah'm older than y'all, so ah'm allowed."

Applebloom looked confused, "What? 'Y'all'? Who else you talkin' to?"

_Oops..._

"...What ah mean is... ah'm older, so ah can make those decisions."

The filly scuffed the floor with her hoof, "Great. Can't get mah cutie mark, can't make mah own decisions..."

Rainbow walked over to the young pony, trying to think of a way to make her feel better, "Hey, uh, don't think about it. Um... what're you doin' right now?"

"Homework," replied Applebloom, "Ah know, ah know, ah was supposed to do it on Friday when ah got home, but ah was too tired. Forgot about it 'til now."

The earth pony had no experience of being a sister before, but she tried doing what she thought was sisterly.

"Maybe I... _ah_ could help you out?"

"Yeah. Please."

Rainbow sat down next to the filly and looked over the book. It appeared that the task was to think up two different ways of saying the words listed, and Applebloom already had a few filled out.

**Speak** — Talk — Chat

**Bite** — Chew — Eat

**Soil** — Earth — Dirt

**Smart** — Clever — Intellagent

"Oh! Oh! You spelled a word wrong," said Rainbow, "Intelligent isn't spelled like that. _Ain't_ spelled like that."

"Huh? Well, how do you spell it?"

"See that 'A'? Change it to an 'I'."

"Oh," said the filly and picked up the pencil from the opposite end. She rubbed out some of the word and amended her error, "Thanks."

"No problem. What you stuck on now?"

"The word _Shout_. Ah got _Yell_, but ah can't think of another way of sayin' it."

"Hmmm."

"How's about _Scream_?"

"Mmmm. Ah think _Bellow_ might work better."

"That's a good one!" said Applebloom and scribbled it down, "Now... _Smile_."

"Heh, Pinkie Pie would know plenty of words for that."

"Oh, ah know! Grin!" she wrote the word down, "And, um... ah dunno..."

Rainbow's mind was also drawing a blank. Her eyes flicked around as she thought and she noticed the sunlight coming in through the windows, creating bright splashes on the wooden floor. This gave her an idea, "Well, what does the sun do?"

"Shines?"

"Yeah, but this begins with a 'B'. And it ain't _Bright_."

"Sun does somethin' that begins with a 'B'? B... B... Beam!"

"Right!"

Rainbow sat next to Applebloom for the remainder of her homework. The filly was able to think of many words on her own, but the older earth pony helped her when she needed it.

"Ah'm done! Thanks, Applejack!" said Applebloom and hugged her 'sister'.

Although initially surprised, Rainbow put a hoof around the younger pony. Helping the filly with her homework and receiving a hug felt... nice.

_So this is what it feels like..._

"You're welcome, Applebloom," replied the earth pony, smiling.

Just then, the front door opened. Big Macintosh stood in the opening, looking at Rainbow expectantly.

"What?" she asked.

The large colt calmly nodded behind him. Rainbow just stared. The colt nodded behind him again.

"Uh, Applejack, you're supposed to be harvestin' right now," said Applebloom, "Sorry, Big Macintosh, ah guess we didn't notice the time."

Rainbow stood up and went over to the pony who was essentially going to be her brother for a while, "Yeah, sorry. Let's get goin', huh?"

"Eeyup."

Big Mac turned and left for the large apple orchard with Rainbow following. Seeing the veritable sea of trees, the earth pony was momentarily dazed.

_Boy, I knew they had a lot, but..._

It was going to be a long day.

.

"Hey, Rainbow Dash," greeted the receptionist.

"Hi," replied Applejack, walking over. A puzzled look passed over her face when the brown pegasus went back to reading her magazine.

Applejack shifted from one hoof to the other and smiled awkwardly. The pegasus looked up, "What?"

"Uh, where do I go again?"

"Ha ha ha! Good one, Rainbow Dash. Okay, what is it you want?"

"No, really."

"Seriously? You've been doing this for three years and you suddenly can't remember where to go?"

"...No. See, I was at a party last night, and it got kinda crazy, so my head's all... foggy."

"Must've been _really_ crazy if you can't remember you go through the door at the end, there," said the receptionist, pointing to a corridor leading off from the reception area.

"Oh yeah! I remember now! Thanks!" said Applejack and trotted away.

"I'd avoid crazy parties from now on, if I were you," the receptionist called after her.

The rainbow pegasus ignored her and stood in front of the door with the sign over it saying _WEATHER PATROL: First Class_. Down the corridor, she could make out two other signs for the Second and Third Class Weather Patrols. She pushed open the door and entered the large room.

The ten other gathered pegasi turned their heads when the door opened. A few of them gave a smile and nod in welcoming and went back to talking with each other. A lavender pegasus with a yellow mane cantered up to Applejack.

"Hey! So, you ready for today, Rainbow?" she asked.

"I guess."

"You feeling okay?"

"Sure! Why wouldn't I be?"

"I dunno. Something about you seems off."

"Oh, you know her, Cloud Kicker," said another pegasus, "She'll be back to her usual self in no time."

"Yeah, ah just... I woke up feelin' funny," said Applejack, hoping nopony noticed her accent slipping in.

"Well shake it off," said Cloud Kicker, "The team leaders are due in about ten minutes. If you wanna do any last minute wing stretches, might as well do them now."

Applejack did her best to blend in as more pegasi poured in until there were thirty in total in the room. Not long after, the three team leaders entered and began calling out names, not wasting any time — this was First Class Weather Patrol, they should know the drill. The pegasi called formed a line in front of the their respective team leaders, ten in each team.

The rainbow pegasus found herself following a large dark grey pegasus named Storm Chaser. Once outside, he flew into the air and hovered as his team assembled.

"Alright, team, I got a bit of bad news," he said. The pegasi exchanged worried glances. Storm Chaser sighed, "We've been assigned Unicorn Range. Yes, I know," he said over everyone's groans, "It's a big area, but I don't choose the routes. Since it's so big, let's get started now. The sooner we start, the sooner we can finish."

_Oh, 'course. Mah first weather patrol and it's a big 'un..._ thought Applejack as she flew after the grey pegasus towards one of the ports. She shook her head, _Keep it together, AJ. These are clouds. They should be nothin' compared to trees..._

_Ah hope..._


	7. Chapter 7

As Pinkie Pie approached Carousel Boutique, she couldn't help but feel a little disheartened. Everypony she greeted along the way either awkwardly smiled and waved back or looked at her strangely. Then she remembered no one knew she was her. With a small sigh, the white unicorn summoned her magic and opened the front door, the bell tinkling at her arrival. After entering the boutique and closing the door, Pinkie turned and was about to start looking around, when the door opened again, seemingly by itself. The unicorn looked back and noticed it still had an azure glow surrounding it.

"Oops," she said to herself and closed the door again, accidentally slamming it shut. She cringed at the loud _bang_ it made, wondering what the ponies outside were thinking. She dispelled her magic and turned back to face the interior of the building.

"What was that? Who's there?" asked a voice from upstairs. A small white unicorn with a curly purple and light pink mane cantered down into the main room.

"Me!" said Pinkie, cheerily.

"Rarity! Why didn't you come home last night?"

"Sorry. I was having a sleepover at Twilight's. It was super-duper fun!" she replied with a large grin.

"It was what now?"

"Oh, eh... it was a delightful evening. Yes..." the unicorn amended with a more subdued smile.

"Are... you okay?"

"Uh-huh, of course. It's not like anything strange happened at the party," said Pinkie walking towards her 'sister'.

"...Yeah..."

"Oh, hey, uh, so did you do your homework? I was supposed to ask you that. I mean, I was going to ask you that anyway."

"Yes, I did it. Are you sure you're okay?"

"Everything's fine! Come on, let's go make dresses!"

"You saying you want me to help?"

"Don't I always?"

"...No."

"Then let's change that, huh?

Sweetie Belle's face brightened at the prospect, "Really? I'll do my best to help out, Rarity!"

"Good, 'cause I really use some help."

"No kidding..."

.

Rarity groaned inwardly as she bounced through Ponyville, trying to look like she was enjoying herself. The smile she had manufactured felt completely fake and she was sure it would frighten small children. Upon reaching Sugarcube Corner, she dropped the smile and entered, noting the number of ponies inside. As it was lunch time, several customers were present, explaining why the streets were a little emptier than usual.

"Pinkie! You're here!" said Mrs. Cake, catching sight of the pink pony, "Sorry, I know you're off today, but we need you in the kitchen."

_Oh no. Already?_ thought Rarity.

"Sure thing!" she said as cheerily as possible and started making her way to the kitchen.

"Hold on a second," said Mrs. Cake as the pink pony passed her, "Could you bake these for me?" she asked, and swiftly placed a small, rolled up piece of paper into Rarity's mouth.

"Ohay," replied Rarity through the paper, and passed into the kitchen, pausing for a moment as the wave of cooking smells assaulted her nose. To her surprise, the pink pony discovered she could discern how many different scents there were.

_Must be Pinkie's finely tuned nose..._

"Oh, Pinkie! Good timing!" said Mr. Cake, closing an oven door, "I want to go check on Pound and Pumpkin. Could you watch this cake for me? Thanks!"

"Ohay..." said Rarity, frowning anxiously as the father of two exited the kitchen. She put the paper onto a tabletop and unrolled it.

_10 fairy cakes_

_10 cupcakes_

_2 birthday cakes (1 blue icing, 1 pink icing)_

"Oh... well, at least it's short," said Rarity and shrugged her saddlebags off in a corner out of the way, her back muscles thanking her. She opened the bag containing the cookbook she had borrowed from the library and took it out, scanning the contents page.

"Let's see... fairy cakes on page... ah!"

Placing the book on the table, she began collecting the ingredients needed. Not wanting to get anything wrong, she consulted the book several times during the mixture's preparation.

While she was stirring, Mr. Cake entered the kitchen again.

"Everything okay?"

"...Yes. Fine," replied Rarity, then remembered she had to be more upbeat, "Finey-doody... doo!"

The older pony looked past her, "_You_ with a cookbook? Ha! Now that's a sight. Problems?"

"No, no, I've got it. Just making the things on that list," she said, nodding at the paper.

Mr. Cake cantered over and looked at the book, "Fairy cakes? You already know how to make them."

"Oh... well... it doesn't hurt to check the instructions once in a while, just to be sure."

"Huh. I... I guess it doesn't. But it looks like you're missing something."

"What?" she asked, glancing at everything she had assembled.

"Don't you think you'll need a cake tin to pour the mixture into?"

"Ah. Yes. Of course. I knew that."

"It's not like you to forget something like that. Here, I'll get one for you."

"...Thank you," replied Rarity, and returned to stirring, hoping she would be able to bungle her way through the rest of the day.

.

"So..." said Pinkie, "How do we start?"

"You tell me," replied Sweetie Belle, "You're the dress maker."

"What, you haven't paid attention when I'm working?"

"You know I don't come here all the time. And when I do, you don't want me getting in your way when you're busy."

"Oh, uh, sorry. But I _do_ want you in my way today. Or, _not_ in my way, but _in_ my way, and... helping me."

"Got it. I think..."

"Goody! I mean, splendid! Let's begin, shall we?"

Pinkie looked around and spotted a dress design on a large pad of paper.

"Oh, you're going to continue that?" asked Sweetie Belle, "Great! You think we can finish it today? I can't wait to see it!"

_Woah, woah, woah, _woah_! This looks super important!_ thought Pinkie, _I don't wanna mess up something Rarity's working on..._

"Uh... maybe later," the unicorn replied to her 'sister', "Let's start off with something simple, like a... a..."

"A new cape for the Cutie Mark Crusaders?"

"Sure! That sounds fun!"

"Yay! Alright! Let's do it!"

"Okay! So, what should we use?"

"Let's keep it red! Yeah! And maybe something else so they look cool! Oh, and we'll need our emblem!" said Sweetie Belle, grinning and dancing from one pair of hooves to the other.

"Sounds good to me! Now, where does Ra... uh, where do _I_ keep the red fabric, again?"

"Try behind you."

Pinkie looked over her shoulder, "Oh, that's right! Silly me!"

"Wow, Rarity, you're really happy and energetic today."

"It's the excitement of making something with my sister!"

The young unicorn giggled, "Okay, now I _know_ something's wrong with you."

"I'm not _that_ bad, am I?" asked Pinkie, setting a roll of soft red fabric on Rarity's work table.

"Um... sometimes. Not always. But let's get on with this!"

Pinkie wobbly floated a pair of scissors over, then stopped, the scissors open next to the fabric, "Wait, how big are these capes going to be?"

"I dunno... oh! I'll get my own cape and we can use that to help!"

Sweetie Belle ran upstairs and quickly returned with her cape on her back and three smaller objects in her mouth. She placed the three objects on the table, next to the sewing machine.

"What're those?" asked Pinkie.

"Patches with the Cutie Mark Crusaders emblem on them. No point having plain red capes — we're crusaders, after all!"

"Wow, you made these when you were upstairs?"

"Yeah, Rarity, I'm so good, I made three patches without a sewing machine or anything in, like, a minute," said Sweetie Belle, rolling her eyes.

"You _are_ good! Did I teach you that? I can't remember..."

"Rarity, even you can't do that. Nopony can."

"Nopony except _my sister_!"

The filly simply sighed.

.

"Burning, burning, burning, _burning_!" cried Rarity, racing over to the oven that was beginning to emit smoke. Hastily, she opened the oven door and backed away, coughing at the smoke that flowed out.

"Ohhh..." she moaned, "Well, there go my fairy cakes..."

She put a hoof to her face. She had been so involved with the cupcake recipe, that she forgot about her other baking job.

"Come on now, Pinkie," said Mr. Cake, "Pay attention. We'll need to put more fairy cakes out soon."

"Sorry, sorry, I'll just... it won't happen again."

"Look, do you want me to bake them?"

Rarity sighed and nodded. She was about to say, "Would you, please?" then made her mouth work to instead say, "Yeah. Okay," feeling that was more in-line with the way Pinkie usually spoke.

_This is not going well at all..._ thought Rarity, returning to the mixing bowl.

.

"Ooh! Ooh! How about green squares at the corners?" suggested Pinkie, beginning to forget about her act a little.

"Green squares? You sure?" asked Sweetie Belle.

"It'll look neat!"

The young unicorn's face scrunched in uncertainty.

"I know what I'm talking about. After all, _who's_ the fashion designer here?" asked Pinkie, flicking her curls back with a hoof.

"Yeah, okay. Maybe once we add something to it, it'll look good."

"Like your emblem!"

"Uh-huh? And...?"

"That's it!"

Sweetie Belle visualised the cape in her mind's eye; the Cutie Mark Crusaders emblem on a red background, framed by green squares at each corner. She shook her head, _I don't see this working..._

"Alright..." said the filly.

Pinkie grinned and started cutting wobbly squares, which looked more like rectangles, from a roll of green fabric, and then proceeded to cut out the shape of the Cutie Mark Crusaders cape from the red fabric, the two unicorns having measured the size of Sweetie Belle's original earlier.

"Okay, where's the glue?" asked Pinkie.

"Glue? For what?"

"For sticking the squares on!" replied the older unicorn and unintentionally floated the 'squares' directly in front of Sweetie Belle's face.

"Okay, okay, I see them!" said the filly, pushing the soft shapes to the side, "But even _I_ know you don't use glue. You _stitch_ them on."

"Oh yeah. I mean, yeah! That was a... a test! That's it! I wanted to see if you knew."

"Everypony knows that."

The unicorn shifted uncomfortably, "...Yeah. Anyway, let's get stitchin'!"

"Rarity?"

Pinkie awkwardly cleared her throat, _Gotta be less me and more Rarity..._

"Come on, dear. Don't worry yourself. Now why don't you help me with this?"

The filly shrugged, "Okay."

.

It took longer than she expected, but Rarity managed to make decent enough cupcakes to sell, as well as the two birthday cakes — with a little help.

After the pink pony had put the confections on display under the glass counter, Mr. Cake called her back into the kitchen.

"Look, Pinkie, I don't know what's going on with you, today. You should have been able to blaze right through that list," he said in an almost fatherly tone.

"Sorry. I don't know what's wrong with me, either."

_Only I know all too well; I'm another pony, _that's_ what's wrong..._

"Well, you're done now. Why don't you go and enjoy the rest of your day off?"

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure. We can handle things here."

"Alright. Um... see you later!" said Rarity, and exited through the kitchen door, "Well, at least that's over," she said once outside, "I may as well see what Pinkie Pie is up to."

Keeping a smile on her way to Carousel Boutique was a task in itself, as almost every single pony she crossed greeted her, and she found herself using the same replies over and over again.

"Hello!", "Hi!", "Nice to see you!", "What's up?", "You, too!", "Thank you!"

_Goodness, is this what Pinkie goes through every day? Well, there's certainly no question that she knows everypony in Ponyville..._

Finally, to her great relief, she saw Carousel Boutique. Giving a half-hearted "Hello!" to three passing unicorns, she approached her shop and opened the door. But inside, there was nopony around.

"Hello?" she called, the word having lost all meaning to her at this point.

"Pinkie Pie!" a small voice shouted.

Rarity turned to see Sweetie Belle running towards her. The sound and sight of her sister made her genuinely smile for the first time that day.

"Hi, Sweetie Belle!"

"Pinkie, you gotta help me! I think my sister's gone crazy!"

The pink pony frowned, "What's she done?" she asked, fearing what Pinkie was up to.

"This way!"

Rarity followed her sister to the kitchen and her breath caught in her throat at the sight of herself standing on a table over the remains of a cake, mouth covered with chocolate. Her eyes bugged out and her jaw dropped to the floor. She rubbed her eyes to make sure she wasn't seeing things.

"Hi! Want some cake?" asked Pinkie, smiling, completely oblivious to Rarity's horrified expression.

"Rarity, what's wrong with you?" asked Sweetie Belle, a quiver entering her voice.

The earth pony cleared her throat, "Oh Rarity, could I have a word with you for a moment?"

"Okay!" replied the unicorn, jumping off the table and following the pink pony out of the kitchen.

Rarity led Pinkie to a room off to the side. She turned to Sweetie Belle, "Just give me a minute. In the meantime why don't you go, uh... clean up that cake?" she said, smiling.

A worried expression on her young face, the filly nodded and walked back towards the kitchen. Rarity closed the door and spun to face Pinkie, the smile from both ponies' faces gone.

"Pinkie... _what_ do you _think_ you are _doing_?" she asked in a piercing whisper.

The unicorn thought for a moment, then, with a hopeful expression, answered, "...Having cake?"

"_Having...!_" Rarity stopped herself from shouting. She closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths. She looked at Pinkie again, more specifically, the chocolate around her mouth, and shook her head. Reaching back, she produced a tissue and wiped it away, "I do not, I repeat, I do _not_ stand on tables and gorge myself on cakes. Nor do I go around grinning all day. I thought I made that clear this morning."

"Sorry. I forgot."

"Well, try to remem–" she stopped and looked at the tissue she had produced, now stained with chocolate, "Where did I get this?" she asked, regarding the soft cloth strangely.

"From _somewhere_."

"_Where_ exactly?"

"Um... I don't know..."

"How can you, of all ponies, not know?"

"I just don't know. If I need something, all I do is reach _somewhere_ and get it."

"I'm not even going to bother. Some things are best left unknown," said Rarity, then fixed Pinkie with a stern gaze, "Unlike what you were doing. I'm glad I knew about that."

"Yeah. Sorry. I'll try to be more you-ish."

"If it makes you feel any better, things haven't exactly gone swimmingly for me, either."

"What happened?"

"The Cakes asked me to do some baking — because they were extra busy, I suppose — and... I burned a batch."

"Ah, don't worry, you'll get it!"

"Thank you, Pinkie. Now then, what else have you been up to?" asked Rarity, almost afraid to know.

"Me and Sweetie Belle made a new cape for the Cutie Mark Crusaders!"

"Oh, a new cape? May I see it?"

"Sure!" said Pinkie, and walked back onto the shop floor, "Sweetie Belle doesn't like it that much, but I think it'll grow on her."

Smiling, although not too broadly, the unicorn picked up the cape in her mouth and presented it to Rarity, who gaped. Pinkie raised her eyebrows, asking for her friend's opinion.

"It's, uh... well... is this really it?" asked the earth pony.

"Uh-huh!" said Pinkie, accidentally dropping the cape. Sweetie Belle emerged from the kitchen as her 'sister' picked the cape back up.

"...Everything okay, Pinkie?" asked the filly.

"I guess so," said Rarity, "But this cape..."

"What do you think of it?"

"Um... nice. But green rectangles on the corners?"

"They're squares, silly," said Pinkie, dropping the cape again.

"So this is what you've been doing today?"

"Yeah. Until Rarity said she was hungry, and..."

"Oh, don't worry," said Rarity, pulling her young sister close, "She won't do it again. Will she?" she asked Pinkie, narrowing her eyes.

The unicorn, cape in mouth again, shook her head.

"Good. So, considering... _Rarity_... demolished that cake, why don't I make another one?"

_I could use some more practice..._

"Can I help?" asked Pinkie, clenching her teeth to keep from dropping the cape again.

Having seen the horrible design the unicorn had thought up for the cape, she was about to say 'No', but then remembered baking was Pinkie's forte.

"Yes. Yes, you can help. Just as long as you don't demolish _this_ one."


	8. Chapter 8

One advantage to 'being' Fluttershy, Twilight realised as she approached the pegasus' house, was that she got to live in one of the most relaxing places in Ponyville. She had barely crossed the bridge when a small, rainbow coloured flock of birds flapped around her, tweeting. She flinched from their sudden appearance, but then realised they were welcoming her home.

Holding out her right foreleg, she smiled as three birds alighted on it.

"Hello, friends. Did you miss me?" she asked.

One of them began chirping, and Twilight was surprised to discover that she knew what he was saying. Apparently, they were worried about her when she didn't come home last night.

"I can understand you!" she said in awe.

The feathered creatures looked at each other in confusion, their heads turning at a speed only birds could manage.

"...I can understand you _would be worried about me_, is what I meant to say."

With a gentle flick of her leg, she indicated to the birds to lift off. Twilight watched them flutter back to the many birdhouses nearby and then continued up the path to her own home. At least, the house that would be her home temporarily.

Upon entering the cosy little cottage, she immediately found herself meeting the eyes of a small white rabbit, who had apparently been waiting by the door. He scowled up at her, tapping his large foot.

"Hello, Angel," said Twilight.

Still scowling, he pointed at the clock. The pegasus looked at the clock and then back at him, "Sorry. I know I'm home late. Are you angry?"

He shook his head, then placed a paw over his stomach.

"Oh no, are you hurt?" asked Twilight.

Still holding his belly, the rabbit fell onto his back.

"Sick?"

Angel sat up and glared at her. He opened his mouth and pointed at it.

"Oh, you're hungry!"

The bunny raised his arms and rolled his eyes.

_(Finally!)_

"Okay, let's see what we've got for you," said Twilight, walking towards the kitchen. After searching through the cupboards, she eventually found some fresh carrots next to a head of lettuce. Taking a carrot in her mouth, she carried it over to Angel and dropped it in front of him.

"There you go."

The bunny glanced down at the orange vegetable, then back up to Twilight.

"Do you want another one?" she asked, and brought another carrot over to him.

Angel crossed his arms and turned his head away.

"Fine... have some lettuce, too," she said and went back to the cupboard. She hurried over to him with a few leaves, beginning to get a little annoyed. Then Angel turned his back on her.

The pegasus scowled, "Angel!" she said, firmly.

He turned around at the strict tone in her voice. Seeing the hard, stern expression on the pony's otherwise gentle face, he grabbed a carrot and began to quickly eat it.

"Glad we've got that settled," Twilight said with a nod and turned to attend to the other animals.

.

"Okay, back a bit," said Spike, helping Fluttershy with her levitation, "Back a bit more and... stop! Now down. Gently. We don't wanna break anything."

Biting her lip in concentration, the unicorn slowly lowered her subject until it made contact with the floor.

"Great job, Fluttershy!" said Spike, "You floated me a really good distance!"

"Only about the length of two ponies," she replied, shrugging.

"Hey, look at it this way — yesterday, you couldn't even make something float _half_ the length of a pony. Or at all, actually."

"Yes, but... I don't know if I'll ever get good enough to cast that swap spell."

"Sure you will! It'll just take time. And don't worry, you've got me and Twilight to back you up."

Fluttershy looked at him, "You really think I can do it?"

"Yeah, if you put your mind to it. And even if you can't, there's always Pinkie Pie. But hey, that's no excuse for you not to try."

She nodded, "You're right. I... I have to do this! My friends are depending on me! I can't let them down!"

"That's the spirit! Come on, try levitation on me again. This time, let's go for the length of _three_ ponies!"

.

Twilight felt exhausted as she rushed over to a small group of animals, carrying a bowl of seeds.

"Here you go, some lovely seeds," she said breathlessly, then realised her mistake as the squirrels and chipmunks cocked their heads at the bowl, "Oh wait, the birds weren't here. Where were they?"

The feathered creatures tweeted behind her. She picked up the bowl and deposited in front of them.

"So, what was it you wanted again?" she asked the squirrels.

They answered in their own squeaky language, which the pegasus understood as, "Nuts. Acorns."

"Oh! Right!" she said and dashed off to the kitchen to collect some.

_I don't know how Fluttershy does it. All of these animals to take care of at once? And I still have that duck family outside to lead to the pond..._

"Okay, anyone else?" she asked after giving the critters their food.

.

"There. Done," said Fluttershy, setting Spike down with her magic again, "I don't know why you're harder to move than the books, though."

"Well, I do have some weight on me, heh," said Spike, patting his stomach.

"But I'm lifting you with magic."

"I dunno. Maybe there's a limit to how much you can lift. But you're doing good."

"I need to do better than good. Ponies who see me will think I'm really Twilight. And she doesn't want anypony to know what's happened. I need to try and be _great_ at magic!"

"Hey, easy there, Fluttershy. Twilight said not to rush."

"I know. I just don't want to let her down."

"You won't, will you?"

"I hope not..." mumbled Fluttershy.

"You mean, 'No, I _won't_ let her down!' right? Let me hear you say it!"

"I won't let her down..."

"Again. Louder."

"I won't let her down!"

"Right! Like I said, you can do this!" said the dragon, giving her a thumbs up.

"Yes! I can! Alright, Spike: get me some books! Uh, please..."

.

"Okay, Mrs. Duck, this way to the lake," said Twilight, walking backwards past the marketplace with a mother duck and her five ducklings following her, "That's it, there's no need to rush, oof!"

The pegasus stumbled when her backside bumped into another pony.

"Oh! I'm sorry," apologised Twilight, turning to the dark green unicorn, "Are you okay?"

"Yes, fine," she replied, rubbing her foreleg.

"Sorry. Come on, duckies, let's go _around_ everypony."

The yellow pegasus continued walking backwards, occasionally checking behind her. After looking behind her for the third time, Twilight noticed the group of ducks seemed smaller. Then she saw one of the ducklings was waddling away.

"Oh no! Little ducky! Don't go on your own!" she cried and ran after it. She picked up the feathered animal and turned to see the mother duck chasing after two other ducklings into the marketplace, her two remaining children waddling after her.

"Oh dear..."

Gently tucking the duckling she was holding under one of her wings, Twilight galloped after the quacking creatures. Dodging and weaving around the ponies at the busy marketplace, she eventually managed to scoop up the small escapees and reunite them with their mother.

"Alright, come on," she said, quickly leading the birds, "Let's just get out of here and go to the la— aah!"

In her haste to escort the ducks out of everypony's way, she tripped over her own hooves and collided with a fruit stand, knocking it over and scattering fruit everywhere. In the confusion, the mother duck frantically lead her ducklings away from the noise... and Twilight.

The pegasus made to go after them, but something caught her tail and she fell flat. She looked over her shoulder at the burly brown earth pony who had a hoof on her pink tail.

"Uh, excuse me, sir. You're standing on my tail..." she said, getting up.

"Yeah. I know."

"Well, could you get off, please? I need to go get those ducks."

"You broke my stand! And what about my fruit?"

"I'll pay for it, just let me get the ducks first."

"How do I know you won't just run away?"

"I won't! I promise! I'll leave the ducks with you while I get you your money, if it'll make you feel better."

"I'm not an animal watcher."

"Please! They're getting away!" said Twilight, looking at him with large, pleading eyes.

The brown pony grimaced, then took his hoof off, "Alright, alright. Bring your ducks here. But you'd better not try anything funny."

"Thank you!"

Twilight took off into the air and scanned the area. She spotted the ducks not too far off, slowly waddling alongside some bushes. She glided towards the birds and gently set herself down next to them.

"Please don't run away like that again."

The mother duck quacked in response.

"I understand you were scared, but it was just some fruit falling down... that I have to pay for, now..." she quietly added to herself, "Listen... I'm going to have to leave you with somepony else, just for a short while. Then I'll take you right to the lake."

The duck quacked loudly.

"Yes, I know you want to get there as soon as possible, but I... um... I have pony stuff to take care of first. I won't be long."

_Quack._

Twilight sighed in relief, "Thank you," she said and led them over to the brown pony who, with some help, was collecting together his fruit and putting in boxes.

"Now you just wait here with this nice, patient, understanding pony, and I'll be right back."

As the ducks gathered around the brown colt, who stood awkwardly with the crowd of animals, Twilight beat her wings and took off.

_There's no way I'm going to pay with Fluttershy's money..._ she thought.

She swivelled her head left and right, searching for the library. Upon spotting it, she made straight for the large tree, remembering to keep her body level to avoid drifting off to one side.

.

Fluttershy sat at a table with a quill in her mouth. She had a sheet of paper rolled out in front of her and was writing down notes to herself about using magic, such as _Don't completely focus on something else when using levitation_ and _Try not to have something weighing on your mind_.

"Why don't you try using magic to write, Fluttershy?" asked Spike.

"Oh, I don't think I can do that, yet," she replied, taking the quill out of her mouth with her magic.

"Just try it," said the dragon, placing down a blank piece of paper next to her.

The unicorn's mouth twisted in uncertainty. She looked at Spike, who gave an encouraging smile and nod.

"...Okay. I'll try," she said.

She wrote down her own name and then sighed at the scrawl that resembled writing.

"Keep going," said Spike, "Try writing down the names of your friends, too."

More disproportionately-sized letters flowed from Fluttershy's quill. Loops were either too big or too small, lines that were supposed to be straight were wobbly and slanted, the crossbars of _T_s rarely connected with the body, and the dots of _I_s were off-centre.

"Horrible," she mumbled, shaking her head.

Peeking over the unicorn's shoulder, Spike grimaced at the scribbled lines.

"Uh... good for a first try," he said, trying to keep Fluttershy's spirits up, although he had seen Twilight's first attempts, and they were far more legible.

The unicorn had just taken the quill in her mouth again when the front door swung open to reveal an out of breath yellow pegasus.

"Twilight?" said Fluttershy, "What's wrong?"

"I've got everything under control. Calm down," said Spike.

"No, no, it's not that," explained Twilight, breathlessly, "I just need to find... my coin bag."

"...I've got money at my own house," said Fluttershy, "If you need to buy more food for the animals with it, go ahead."

"Yeah, uh, about the animals..."

While searching around for her coin bag, Twilight quickly explained what had happened with the ducks.

"They're with a stranger?" asked the unicorn, her voice rising slightly.

"Ah! Found it!" said the pegasus, pulling the bag out of a desk drawer, "Yeah, but don't worry! I'll fix everything! Gotta go!"

Literally flying through the doorway, Twilight left the pegasus and dragon staring after her.

"Twilight broke something... with _my_ body?" said Fluttershy quietly as Spike walked over to the door and closed it.

"It's fine. She said she'll take care of it," said Spike, reassuringly.

"Yes, but... everypony will think it was _me_. What if... what if when I get my body back and I go there, they all stare at me and say things about me?"

"Look, I'm sure by the time everypony's back to normal, they'll have forgotten about it."

"...I hope they will..." mumbled the unicorn, drawing circles on the floor with her hoof.


	9. Chapter 9

After passing through one of the checkpoints at Cloudsdale, Applejack flew after the other pegasi in her team. Glancing to her left, she saw another team clearing away the clouds above Ponyville. She watched a couple of them kicking and nodded, thinking the technique looked comparable to applebucking. When she turned her head back to the ponies in front of her, she saw they were a little ways off to her right. The rainbow pony realised she must have dipped her left legs enough to sway off course. Correcting her angle, she flew faster to catch up again. She had decided to stay at the back of the group so she would have plenty of time to adjust for changes in speed or direction, so hopefully, nopony saw her breaking away.

"Hey, something up with ya, Dash?" asked a dark blue male pegasus.

_Ah, ponyfeathers..._

"Oh, nothin'," she replied.

"Yeah, right. You kinda... flew off for a second."

"Uh, I was daydreamin'. I just kinda let... my... body drive itself. I've been here quite a few times, y'know?" she said, even though the closest she had come was seeing the mountains at a distance while on a train on the way to and from the Crystal Empire.

"Really? I've only been here, what, three times? Yeah, three times. Twice back when I was in Second Class and once just after I got promoted to First. Not counting this time, that is."

"It's, uh... a nice place, ain't it?"

"Yeah. I guess so. But come on, I think you've got bigger problems than daydreaming. You're usually up at the front of the pack, just behind the leader."

"Nah, just a bit tired, is all."

"You gonna be okay?"

"Of course! Who are ya talkin' to right now?" she said, flashing him a grin.

The pegasus laughed and shook his head, "Confident as ever! Yeah, you're fine!"

The lead pegasus, Storm Chaser, held his left foreleg out to his side and swerved in that direction, the rest of the pegasi following his lead. Up ahead, Applejack could see the mountains of Unicorn Range. She gulped; they seemed to go on forever.

_That's what we'll be doin'?_

Her apple orchard back home was large, but it was nothing compared to a whole mountain range. She pushed the thought out of her mind. She had a team of expert pegasi with her and it was summer, so maybe there wouldn't be that many clouds. Not that she had any idea how many there would be normally.

Lowering her gaze, Applejack noted how different everything looked from this high in the air. It was almost like looking at a map. A _giant_ map with a _giant_ amount of detail. She could see every tree, every house, every bridge perfectly instead of vague shapes and colours representing them.

"Alright, everypony!" said Storm Chaser loudly and stopped to face them, "We're here."

Applejack's head snapped up again and managed to stop just in time avoid flying into someone.

The large pegasus continued, "Let's just take these one at a time."

He then called out five names, "You five go left and clear that side. Silver Star, you're in charge. The rest of you, follow me."

A white pegasus with shining, light grey hair nodded and flew off with the other four behind her.

Storm Chaser motioned with his hoof, "C'mon, c'mon!"

Applejack took a deep breath, _Here goes..._

.

The tree in front of Rainbow Dash seemed sturdy. However, the earth pony looked it up and down with a confident smile on her face.

_Easy peasy!_

She turned her back to it, launched a strong hoof at the trunk and nodded at the sound of apples falling into buckets. Rainbow turned to inspect her hoofwork and frowned at seeing the tree still having apples on most of its branches. She scratched her head, sure she had heard them falling down. Looking in the buckets confirmed what she had thought, but it wasn't what she had expected; only three or four apples were in each bucket.

Positioning herself in front of the tree again, she slammed it with her hoof a second time. Again, only a few apples fell to join the others.

"What's up, Applejack?" asked Applebloom, who was in the process of pushing a bucket to a tree further along, "Need more buckets?"

"...No, no. I got this."

The filly stood on her hind legs and leaned over one of the buckets, resting her front hooves on the rim. She looked surprised at how little of the red fruits there were. She glanced up at the tree, down at the apples again, and then over to her 'sister', giving her a questioning look.

"Oh, about that..." said Dash, attempting to think up a good excuse.

"Since when do you not fill up whole buckets in one kick?"

"We, uh... we all have off-days, ya know?"

"But you've never had an off-day."

"Well... first time for everythin'," said Rainbow Dash, hoping her smile was convincing enough, fighting her eyebrows from trying to slope upwards and make her fake smile look like the worried one it really was.

"Ah guess..." said Applebloom, setting all four hooves on the ground.

"Yeah. Now, you go set up the rest of those buckets for your big sister, eh?"

"Alright."

As the filly began pushing the bucket again, Dash turned her head to watch Big Macintosh buck a tree. His first kick knocked off most of the apples and the rest fell after his second kick. He looked over and saw Rainbow watching him. His eyes went up to the tree she was under, still covered in apples. Quickly, she averted her gaze and gave a strong kick with both legs, knocking the rest of the fruit off.

_Yeah. See? That wasn't so hard, was it? Now you just need to do it, like, five hundred more times..._

.

The air grew colder as Applejack approached the high mountains. There were plenty of clouds around, as she had feared.

The other pegasi spread away from her and started clearing the sky. Two of her team gathered up smaller clouds and stuck them together before kicking them away. Applejack hovered in one spot, unsure of how to proceed.

"Rainbow Dash!" shouted Storm Chaser sternly, startling the sky blue pegasus. She took one look at his electric yellow eyes and immediately went for the nearest cloud.

Taking position like she would as if she were applebucking, she reared back a leg.

_Shouldn't take _too_ much force, right?_ she thought.

She thrust her hoof towards the fluffy white shape with roughly half the strength she gave the average apple tree and was caught off-guard when it sunk in and got stuck. She looked around and blushed as she saw some of her teammates turn their heads away, obviously trying to conceal their laughter.

Placing her other hoof on the cloud, and hoping it wouldn't get stuck too, she pushed against it while attempting to pull out her other hoof. It didn't take her much effort to free herself, but she was beginning to doubt her ability to do the job. She didn't want to mess this up, as she knew how much Rainbow Dash valued her reputation.

With her second try, Applejack used both hooves, kicking harder than before, and managed to separate the cloud into two halves. She turned and used her front hooves to finish them off.

She flew over to another cloud, and like before, split it in two with a kick, shaking her head at the same result. After disposing of the two halves, she approached her next target and examined it.

_Ah've seen Rainbow get rid o' these things in one go. How's she do it?_ she thought, trying to figure out if there was a visual clue to a weak spot she had overlooked.

Finding nothing, she launched her rear hooves at the white lump, but ended up sending it spinning into two other pegasi and adding it to their cloud.

The male pegasus of the two scowled and tore off the extra chunk. With a grunt he threw it back at Applejack.

"Do your own clouds, Dash!" his partner said angrily.

The rainbow pegasus caught the cloud and was knocked back a little by the impact.

"Yeah, sorry!" Applejack called back.

Narrowing her eyes at the white object in front of her, she clapped her front hooves together, then pushed them out in front of her, alternating between them; left hoof, right hoof, left hoof. The cloud shrank after each hit, and on the fifth blow, it dissipated.

"Come on, pick it up, Rainbow!" said Storm Chaser as he flew past.

"Yes, sir," she replied, wondering if she ever was going to 'pick it up'.

.

At her fourth tree, Rainbow Dash found she was still unable to applebuck like her farmer friend.

_She makes it look so easy..._ thought the earth pony. She aimed a strong, two-legged kick at the tree and, by pure chance, succeeded in knocking off all of the apples, as well as some of the tree bark. She awkwardly glanced around as a large amount of bark crumbled away from the spot she had kicked. Certain that neither Applebloom nor Big Macintosh had seen her damage the tree, she walked away from it, trying to look as casual as possible.

Seeing movement from the corner of her eye, Rainbow turned her head to watch some pegasi flying through the air, dispersing clouds as they went. She felt glum and jealous as she watched them soar through the sky, feeling the wind beneath their wings. Shaking it off as best she could, the earth pony tilted the brim of her hat up, wondering if Applejack was among them.

Unable to see any rainbow-coloured manes or tails, she shrugged and walked up to another tree.

_I hope AJ's doing better than me..._ she thought as she kicked the thick trunk. A dejected sigh escaped her as she heard the familiar sound of very few apples landing in the buckets and she closed her eyes. A solid _thunk_ and the sound of falling apples made her turn. Big Macintosh stood before her, regarding his 'sister' with a worried expression. He said nothing, but Dash could tell he was concerned.

Forcing a smile, she waved a hoof, "Don't start frettin' yourself about me. Ah'm fine. Just feelin' a little... you know... off."

The large red colt cocked his head.

"Ah'm _okay_. Don't worry," she told him.

He half-turned, stopped and looked at Rainbow Dash one more time, then went back to the apple trees.

With a quiet sigh, the earth pony approached another of the many, many trees and readied herself.

_I've gotta get this applebucking thing down fast. I can't pretend I'm "feeling off" forever..._

.

It was approaching sunset and the huge mountains of Unicorn Range cast long, looming shadows over the land. Clouds still hung in the air, but completely clearing them wasn't the assignment, as light rain was scheduled for the next day.

A blue hoof struck a white, fluffy mass and dissipated it. Applejack turned her attention to Storm Chaser above who was checking the sky. He nodded in satisfaction.

"Good job, everypony!" he called out, "We're done! Let's head back!"

_Oh, finally!_ thought Applejack.

The ten pegasi formed up next to their leader and followed him as he flew back towards Cloudsdale.

Cloud Kicker, sweat visible on her face, drew up alongside the rainbow pony, "I thought this day would _never_ end!" she commented.

"Yeah, it was a tough one," admitted Applejack.

"Speaking of which, you were having a _really_ tough time of it. What's up?"

"...I've... not been myself recently," she said, not exactly lying.

"Something happen?"

The rainbow pegasus shook her head, "Nah. Not really. Nothing worth mentioning... kinda..." she added under her breath.

It wasn't long before the white city of Cloudsdale could be seen. Applejack's mind raced. She had just remembered about the security checkpoints.

_Uh-oh! What was mah code again? Four-_three-six_-four? Four-_six-three_-four? Darn it!_

Shortly, they landed at one of the ports. Fairly certain the ID code was four-six-three-four, the pegasus took her place in line just behind Cloud Kicker and waited. As the pegasi in front of her answered the questions, Applejack looked to the side to view the sunset. The horizon was ablaze in beautiful reds and pinks. The picturesque scene helped her push the day's stressful events out of her mind.

"Next."

The rainbow pegasus blinked, "Oh, me? Right."

She answered the questions directed at her and, glad she remembered the code correctly, joined the group on the other side of the gate. Once the others had passed through, they flew straight to the Cloudsdale Weather Station.

_Ah can't _wait_ to get back to Sweet Apple Acres and check on Rainbow Dash... _thought Applejack as she followed the others,_ And ah gotta ask her how to kick them darn clouds..._

Once inside the lobby, crowded and noisy due to the other two teams having returned earlier, they each signed a piece of parchment stating that they were present and accounted for that day. When the quill was passed to her, Applejack quickly read over the statement at the top of the paper, something she was sure everypony else had already memorised, and signed 'her' name. She felt strange and uncomfortable writing out Rainbow Dash's name, pretending it was hers, but she couldn't exactly write her real one. She placed the quill inside the inkwell and moved aside to let the next pegasus sign.

"So Rainbow, you coming with us to _Cloud 9_ tonight?" asked the dark blue pegasus she had met earlier that day.

She had no idea where or what that was, so she quickly thought up an excuse, "...Sorry, no. I gotta go check on a friend, see if she needs help."

"Oh, is it that one who owns Sweet Apple Acres?"

"Yeah. Applejack," she answered, a little annoyed at being referred to as 'that one'.

"Yeah, that one. Well, maybe you'll be there next time?"

"Maybe."

Then Storm Chaser's voice rang out above the chatter, "Alright, good work today, everyone! We'll see you all tomorrow!"

_Good. Time to get outta—_

"And Rainbow Dash? I need to talk to you."

_Ah, shoot..._

"Uh-oh, the Big S has called ya," commented the blue pegasus colt, "Good luck."

_Now what in the hay does _that_ mean?_

Storm Chaser nodded his head towards a corridor, indicating the rainbow pegasus to follow him. With a nervous gulp, Applejack followed his large, dark grey frame. He led her into what she guessed was his office. Several framed certificates were displayed on the wall behind his chair. On his desk was a short stack of documents held down by a small rock on one side, and on the other side, a framed picture. Applejack couldn't see what was on it, but she presumed it was a picture of his family.

Even though the window was open, cooling the otherwise stuffy office, the young pegasus still felt uncomfortably hot.

Storm Chaser sat down and sighed. With an expression of disappointment, he shook his head at Applejack and said, "I don't know what was going on with you today, Rainbow Dash. You're usually one of the top fliers, if not _the_ top flier."

"Uh... I... well, I..."

The large colt leaned forward, resting his forelegs on the desk, "Come on, Rainbow," he said, lowering his voice a little, "Is there something happening at home? You seemed really distracted."

"No... um, kinda..."

"Do you want to see someone about it?"

"No, no, it should work out..."

"There's no shame in asking for help."

"Really, it's fine."

"Well, _I_ don't think it is," replied Storm Chaser, sitting up again, "Rainbow Dash, I'm going to have to ask you to take a couple days off."

"Whut?"

"Come back Wednesday morning, see how you are then."

"But...!"

"I'm not going to allow you to do any weather jobs when you're like this. Take some time off, get yourself together."

_Rainbow's not gonna be happy to hear this..._

"Okay..." said Applejack, looking away.

The grey pegasus nodded and said, "Alright, you get home."

Rainbow tail dragging on the floor, Applejack turned and opened the door.

"It'll do you some good," said Storm Chaser as the mare left.

"Ah reckon you're right..." she replied and shut the door.

The grey pegasus pursed his lips, then slid a document in front of him from the pile on his desk. He had just taken a quill in his mouth when he looked up at the door, remembering what 'Rainbow Dash' had said.

"...'Ah reckon'...?"

.

_Thunk! Thunk! Thunk!_

The third buck caused the brown hat to slip loose and fall from Rainbow Dash's head. She picked it up and firmly reaffixed it.

Hearing heavy hoofsteps, she turned to see Big Macintosh walking towards her.

"Ah think that's enough fer now," he said.

"I... Ah can keep goin'," replied Rainbow, slightly out of breath.

"Well, it's dinner time," said the large colt.

Rainbow Dash had barely noticed the sun setting, "Oh. Oh yeah! Ah'm sure we can _all_ keep goin' after a good meal!"

Big Mac frowned and said, "..._You_ can keep goin' after dinner if ya want, but _ah'm_ going to stop fer today."

"...Y–Yeah, I guess it is a good time to stop."

"We usually do at this time," said the colt, nodding, then started walking towards the Apple Family house. The earth pony was about to follow him when a rainbow streaking across the sky caught her attention.

_Applejack!_ thought Rainbow Dash excitedly.

"Uh... ah'll catch up with ya!" she called after her 'brother'. He turned his head while walking, saw the blue pegasus gliding towards the farm, and nodded at Dash.

Rainbow ran up to the pegasus, who stumbled a little when she landed.

"Boy, am I glad to see... me," she said.

"Hoo-ee! Cloud clearin' is _lot_ tougher'n it looks."

"Seriously? Do you know how much trouble I had gettin' those apples down?" retorted the earth pony, pointing a hoof back at the huge orchard.

"'Yeah, I got it, like kickin' clouds!' Sound familiar?"

"Well, I assumed it _would_ be. But c'mon, you had trouble with _clouds_?"

Applejack blushed, "I, uh... got mah hoof stuck in mah first cloud."

Rainbow Dash burst out laughing, "How'd you manage _that_?"

"Ah dunno! Ah kicked the darn thing and mah hoof just sunk in! How do ya do it? Just breeze through 'em all in one go?"

The earth pony shrugged, "Practice is all."

"Ah guess..."

"Speaking of which... I could use some practice with applebucking," said Rainbow Dash, wiping sweat from her brow, "Any pointers?"

"Shouldn't you be goin' in fer dinner? How's about afterwards?"

"Yeah, alright. And I can help _you_ out with cloud clearing for tomorrow."

Applejack awkwardly scratched her head, "Uh, yeah... about that..."

.

"Where's Applejack?" asked Applebloom, sitting at the dinner table.

"Talkin' to her friend," replied Big Mac as he laid down the plates.

He almost dropped the plate he was holding as he clearly heard his sister's voice yelling, "_YOU WHAT?_"


End file.
